The little girl ran,

because she can.

She has endless days of fun-

her ideas are second to none.

The young boy is burried in a book,

sitting in a perfect nook.

His mind does race-

in a book, you have no level or place.

The tween girl spoke,

untill midnight's stroke.

Her friends also lay in sleeping bags-

sharing stories of danger and crags.

The teen boy celabrated,

there was no one he hated.

He lived a happy life-

even if it had times of strife.

Then adualthood crashes on us all,

our dreams go from big, to very, very small.

But, one question, why?

They need to know a fun life is not a lie.

I met my teenage idol

in nineteen ninety-two;

his life had been a trial,

but still he powered through.

Because of operations

on spine and tibia,

he surpassed expectations

with spina bifida.

The wheelchair didn't stop him;

he always found a way-

no one was more deserving

of seeing bounds puréed.

And when his will was tested,

he never lost his smile;

so easy I invested-

a step dad quite worthwhile.

He loved me absolutely;

I always rode along-

an avid little groupie

who listened to his songs.

On Thursdays he went racing-

a place called Thunder Road;

I watched the Legends chasing

each other tail to nose.

Those summer nights were thrilling

with infield dirt aflight;

and though he wasn't winning,

he would not move aside.

The budget car got battered

whenever he'd compete;

on weekends family gathered

to help him patch his steed.

Despite the constant struggle,

he rose above it all,

but one night he was muscled

and pushed a bit too far.

The final lap upon them,

he's shoved to second place;

he tapped the car and spun 'em,

thus winning his first race!

When we sat there on her bed, and the TV blared in the background, I looked into her blue eyes and asked her a question.

"How long have you liked me?" I asked.

"Since day one. Remember when our friend abandoned me and you stayed to comfort me?" she answered.

"I do; it was the day we became friends."

"That was the moment I knew I liked you. I'm happy we came this far."

(Based on a true story. I don't remember everything said, but I do remember the when and the feeling that exploded in my chest.)