When I was small, I often woke 

Long after the sun had fled 

Convinced there was a giant snake 

Hiding underneath my bed. 

 

In my backyard a forsythia bush 

Whenever I crawled to sit inside 

Transformed into a golden palace 

Where tiny dragons liked to hide. 

 

And when I found a four-leaf clover 

It was a prize fit for a prince 

That is, until my sister ate it. 

She’s been lucky ever since. 

 

I kept the secret of a portal 

Concealed in a dogwood tree 

That when I carefully climbed through 

Led to another reality. 

 

Monsters only lurked at night 

Love, once found, was always true 

Magic was present everywhere 

And grown-ups never lied to you. 

 

Since then, I’ve traveled somewhere else 

A place harder to understand 

Where there’s a formula for fairy dust 

And they’ve stripped the paint from Wonderland.