You didn’t care
about papers on the floor
because they did not matter

And your smile
which was so evident in the evening light
laying in the living room
was not built by the people in a black box
trying hard to make you laugh

The simple things got to you
making you crunch your nose
or open your mouth
and try to tell everyone
how great it was to be you

Nothing was quite unordinary
no boundaries were set
and if they were
they were not set by you
because the world was all yours
and your territory only ended
at every other tree

The ocean
was the same as the grass
and dirt
was the same as cotton
though we all tried to teach you otherwise

But now boundaries are set
and my neighbor’s yard
isn’t mine
although it looks just the same
and the ocean is wet
and the grass is prickly
and dirt on our cotton makes us cringe

And we all care
because those things really matter.