Tell Me When I’m Eight
Sarah is inquisitive
There’s much she wants to know
She’s asked a lot of questions
And she still has more to go
Swinging with her daddy
In the porch swing late one night
Sarah couldn’t help but wonder
As she watched each twinkling light
Why the evening sky is filled with stars
But when it’s day they’re gone
“I wish whoever turns them off
Would some days leave them on.”
“My dear, the sun too is a star
It shines a powerful light
The other stars are far away
And can’t shine quite as bright.”
“I’m listening, I’m not wiggling
And I’m trying to concentrate
But my brain is overloaded
So, please, tell me when I’m eight.”
One afternoon when Mimi
Had arrived to baby sit
Sarah crawled up in her lap
And she was quiet for a bit
But gathering her courage
She looked Mimi in the eye
And said, “Lately I’ve been wondering
What happens when we die?”
Mimi hugged her tight and said,
“Our spirits go to heaven.”
“That’s all I need to know right now,
Save the rest until I’m seven.”
One sunny summer afternoon
Dad turned the sprinkler on
And in the misty water arced
A rainbow ‘bove the lawn
Sarah naturally was curious
And of course she had to ask
Where did the colors come from
That she saw above the grass
“Sunlight is filled with colors
Every shade and every hue
And the round shape of the raindrop
Refracts the sunlight passing through
Causing all those pretty colors
To appear before your eyes”
“Gee, Dad, you know your science,
I’m convinced you’re really wise,
But that’s awfully complicated
And you’ll have to ‘splain again
‘Cuz I don’t understand at all,
So tell me when I’m ten.”
On Wednesday after school
Grandpa took Sarah for a walk
It gave them time together
And they always liked to talk
About the kind of day she’d had
And what her teacher said
And all the while more questions
Swirled about inside her head
“Why do the leaves change colors?
Will I change colors too?
Aunt Edith’s hair was gray last week
But this week it looks blue.”
“The leaves are filled with chlorophyll
And that’s what makes them green”
“Too much information, Grandpa
Let’s wait ‘til I’m a teen.”
While playing at the park one day
Sarah spied her neighbor
She overheard her mother say,
“She’ll soon go into labor.
She’s going to have a baby
The doctor says that it’s a girl.”
Sarah’s mind was filled with questions
And her thoughts began to swirl
“Just where do babies come from?
How do they fit inside?”
And when she heard the answer
She was totally mystified
Sarah’s questions just keep coming
But, she’ll let you have a turn
Won’t you ask someone a question?
Because that’s the way you learn!
