Now, we know that all young boys,
Need a place to call their own;
And, we need this solitude,
Way before we are grown.

It’s kind of a ‘guy thing’,
A place where we can just…be;
A place nobody knows of,
Run wild…kick up our heels…free!

One day…I found this SECRET PLACE,
While wandering far from home;
And, I returned there many times,
Even after I had grown.

My SECRET PLACE…it remained,
Until the day I thought to share;
So, I told a few close buddies,
And, together…we were happy…there.

After all…it was a ‘guy thing’,
Totally exclusive…it was not;
But, hey…girls weren’t welcome,
They couldn’t share what we had got.

We discovered things…way out there,
Explored the woods and the stream;
We found fish aplenty…there,
We could swim…or just day-dream.

The solitude afforded us,
Just what we did need;
A place to explore ‘without’,
And, to explore ‘within’…indeed.

Happy days…young manhood memories,
We piled them up…one by one;
They were learning experiences,
Not just…plain fun.

We learned survival skills,
Pitting one friend…against the other;
Like young bucks…we mastered,
One skill…after another.

Who was the best tree climber,
Or, who the best swimmer?
Who had mastered the fine art of fishing,
And, brought home the largest fish for dinner?

Yes, those days were carefree days,
As our skills…we did hone;
They were skills that we would use,
Long after we had grown.

But, most of all…I shall remember,
The confidence and trust we built;
When I decided to share with others,
My SECRET PLACE!

********

September 6, 2003

Aimee Love
(LHG)