A Childhood Without Devices

Seven stones placed in a pile by the defenders,

With a ball, the pile is toppled by the hitters,

The hitter’s team runs hither and thither,

Until everyone is struck by a defender.

Hide and seek was great fun,

The seeker closed her eyes and counted to ten,

The rest tried to find a hiding den,

The seeker won if she discovered everyone. 

Hopping and catching was a game of strength, 

The hopper hopped while the others ran to great lengths.

A graze from the hopper was all that was needed,

To be caught and to become the next hopping steed. 

Such were the games we played,

When devices didn't keep fun at bay,

We didn't know what boredom and nothing-to-do was,

Often we wished our day had more than 24 hours!

Today’s children might call such games lame,

Their thumbs on devices and no running games,

We were fit and strong, germs rarely did us any harm,

Unlike today, when a little sneeze creates so much alarm. 

Our parents let us handle our own fights,

We were free to do what we thought was right,

We fought and laughed at each other,

But in the end, we always ended up together. 

Should we ban devices for children now?

Let children outdoors again to have fun, and how?

Well, we could try but schools would order it down,

Today, lessons are learned on these electronic clowns!