Not This Kid Anymore
by Michael Doyle

I'm not that kid anymore.
The kid who looked into the backyard 
Watching the monkeys play,
And wanting to play, too.

I'm not that kid anymore.
The kid who looked into the rainforest,
Just beyond the backyard,
And wondering with wide eyes
What might be there to find.

I grew into the man starting,
Starting the new adventure.
I learned of the Shawnee National Forest
And found myself looking from the Garden of the Gods.
It feels like a place called home,
Moving there with no one known,
I would make my home there.

I'm not that kid anymore.
The kid who dreamed of being Daniel Boone.
I am the man who knew he's not,
But will explore and photograph just the same.

I am ready to walk this new road,
And I will find where it goes.
Wherever it is that it may go.
There is so much to be seen.
I have mapped out the start and will go.

I don't know what I will find there.
But I feel it calling me just the same.
It sparks inside my soul.
The feeling is good, as if it's home.
My start of exploration has a feel that's right.
I am eager to see what's ahead
Because that kid has grown to become this man.

(c) August 5, 2026   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved