When Was I A Young Man?

When was I a young man?
Was it when time gave me a small portion,
That I thought I could pause,
Or would never run dry?

Was it when my body demanded
That I run and run and run?
When calories were a buzzword
For a generation above?

When was I a young man?
Was it when tomorrow was always an alternative?
When another season bought hope not fear,
And we were writing, not just reading.

When was I a young man?
When my birth excused me from evil deeds,
When the price of money was what you thought it,
Not what the graphs proclaim it.

When was I a young man?
When candles didn't cover cakes,
When sleep was but a barrier,
That stole the day's remainder.

When was I a young man?
When elders seemed like foreigners,
When I was a founder of jargon,
Then I saw friends lose smiles.

Time gave me a promise,
That the world was mine to take,
When the next in line could not yet speak,
And I bounced back from destruction.

But now they can speak,
And time has gently whispered its lies.
They think and boast that they'll take the world
That I was never given.