One day there was an accident
No one saw it coming
Reynold fell on his head
When jumping on his bed
And broke his bedroom cabinet

His parents came a’shouting
And the little boy was howling
For he was hurt
And lying inert
All because of his bouncing

They hurried him to the hospital
And prayed even if only a little
The doctors could mend
Poor Reynold’s head
For he sure was looking ill

Well the doctors worked breathlessly
The boy would be okay
He had bruises and bumps
Along with some lumps
But they would heal eventually

They said, “He got quite lucky!”
If little Reynold jumped
A tad to the left
A little to the west
It would have been real ugly

His parents sure were glad
Their son would be okay
He fell off his bed
And banged up his head
But he was a tough little lad

The bandages would be removed
In about a month
There was no long-term damage
Reynold, he would manage
His condition would improve

Then autumn turned to winter, and in stride
Winter into spring
The boy was back back to normal
Nothing was abnormal
At least, on the outside

His birthday was coming up
Little Reynold was turning eight
He was excited
Happy and delighted
Until he saw the cake

“Blow it out!” they would shout
While Reynold slumped in his chair
No way!
No how!
Fire’s too dangerous, no doubt

Our Reynold was quite proud
“For I could have died,”
I was being smart
No need for an upstart
Forget about the crowd

For as a child I was foolish!
No more with that dangerous strife
Almost broke my head
But never again
I’ll live a long long life

Reynold’s family was taking a vacation
Much to their elation
A couple weeks
Together, on the beach
Not a single obligation

They purchased plane tickets
But little Reynold realized
Flying would be rash
What if they were to crash?
“Think it through a minute,”

So the parents acquiesced
Their debate made no progress
In the end
So Reynold would contend
The family drove there out of kindness

For as a child I was foolish
No more with that dangerous strife
Almost broke my head
But never again
I’ll live a long long life

Well they got to the beach
Set up their chairs
And everyone ran to the water
But little Reynold faltered
“I could drown!” he would screech

“Just go up to your ankles,” they said
But the boy did not budge
“I see a ripple mark, it could be a shark,”
So cautious Reynold sat on the ground
And absently picked at a thread

For as a child I was foolish!
No more with that dangerous strife
Almost broke my head
But never again
I’ll live a long long life

Several years later
It was that time of year
Snow turned to slush
The boy had a crush
And he really wanted to date her

When Reynold was in middle school
He got to class
And started making art
A Valentine’s heart
All he needed was a cutting tool

His classmate handed him a scissors
But Reynold did not accept
“I could accidently trip
and cut open my lip
doesn’t it make you quiver?”

For as a child I was foolish!
No more with that dangerous strife
Almost broke my head
But never again
I’ll live a long long life

Poor Reynold was off to high school
With not a friend speak of
“They all are so dangerous
Each second with them is perilous”
So lonely Reynold was uncool

Yes high school was quite dreary
He was tormented and bullied
But Reynold pushed through the sneers
And survived all four years
But it wasn’t pretty

Reynold was going to college
Practically a man
He did not have his license, no driving on the horizon
For what if I were to share the road
With an alcoholic?

High school and college were the same
He had no extracurriculars
Leaving plenty of time for his studies
For he wasn’t out with any buddies
Nor playing in a football game

Well he graduated
And earned a bachelor’s degree
Not once did he party
Yes he was a smarty
For injury and roughhousing surely awaited

For as a child I was foolish!
No more with that dangerous strife
Almost broke my head
But never again
I’ll live a long long life

Reynold needed a career
To cover his proliferating bills
A problem he was feeling
For the sake of his well-being
The choice was not real clear

He wasn’t the brightest as they say
So teaching was a no
He would not drive
As long as he was alive
So the job mustn't be too far away

He could not be a doctor
For all the dangerous diseases
No, not a janitor
Reynold could slip and fall on the floor
How about an author?

For as a child I was foolish!
No more with that dangerous strife
Almost broke my head
But never again
I’ll live a long long life

He tried to write all proper
But couldn’t think of much
Maybe a cashier
Oh wait, nevermind
I forgot about the robbers

One night he was about to start
Dinner, alone in his apartment
All healthy of course
No desserts, without remorse
“For junk food is bad for your heart,”

When the thought came across him
Perhaps a librarian?
They were protected
From danger unaffected
So Reynold went out on a limb

For as a child I was foolish!
No more with that dangerous strife
Almost broke my head
But never again
I’ll live a long long life

Reynold was a librarian
Working safe and sound
From the world disconnected
Just as he suspected
And at a branch a block away from him

Was he happy? Not all around
Not exactly delight
More like relief
Since he had a strong belief
I will be forever safe and sound

As long as he avoided the ladders
All would be okay
Work would be quite stellar
He was feeling real smug and clever
And a decade came and passed

For as a child I was foolish!
No more with that dangerous strife
Almost broke my head
But never again
I’ll live a long long life

Reynold was forty-three
With not a bruise to speak of
Not a single danger
Never talked to a stranger...
He realized, and was sorely pleased

One Friday Reynold got his mail
And noticed a manilla letter
It’s a high school class reunion
He became filled with confusion
“Should I even go?”

For it could be an elaborate trap
A trick made by a serial killer
I shall not attend
For in the end
It’s better to be safe than a dead chap

Alone, he sipped tea in his residence
Today’s my ninetieth birthday
The day I will retire
For money he did not require
And had no children to give inheritance

One day Reynold woke in manic
And could not move his legs
He pulled himself up and moaned
Reached for the bedside phone
And called a hospital, trying not to panic

Next time he opened his eyes
He was sitting in a white room
With a nurse standing over him
Looking a little grim
Asking Reynold to vocalize

“‘Any family members?”
“No, I’m the last,”
“And I apologize but how old are you?”
“Well ma’am I’m one-hundred-and two,”
He responded as the doctor entered

“I’m very sorry for you
And that it has to be this way
But you have ALS
And are drifting towards full-body paralysis
There’s nothing we can do,”

“Why do I have it?
Where did I go wrong?”
“There’s nothing you could do sir,
You were just unlucky, mister
We’ll leave you alone for a bit,”

Reynold sat and thought real badly
And wondered and pondered and considered
I lived long enough
I know the end’s always rough
But why aren’t I happy?

For as a child I was foolish!
So I stopped living that way
I avoided all dangers
Since I was a teenager
And lived a long long life

“Yes I ate phenomenal
My blood pressure was great and cholesterol low,”
Never once tried gravy
But I had to admit life wasn’t real fun or tasty
Without a single cheat meal

I never had a relationship
For people can break your heart
But Reynold started to wonder
Even with the occasional plunder
It’s may be worth it in the round trip

Yes I lived to be one hundred and two, isn’t that quite something
But what’s the good
If I look back
And my memories are black?
I filled all those years with nothing

Months passed before his eyes
And frail Reynold was on his deathbed
He could not move nor speak
Feeling increasingly weak
And ultimately realized

As a man I was so foolish
That’s when I was blithe
As a child at least I knew
It’s better to die from living
Than to live just to survive