Advice We Give Our Children

goes in one ear and out the other, goes
where the wild things are, somewhere mid-air between
wise and tart surprise, as if it knows
the way by heart; courts serendipity,
crosses the street without holding hands,
ignores entreaties and prefers the ne'er-
do-well to well-to-do, tries contraband,
gets high and sobers up-until we swear
we'll give up giving it (what, after all,
do we know?). And yet it seems we've done quite
well, made parents proud, despite our refusal
to listen. Amazing, how we learned right
from wrong, butt-headed as we've always been.
Who better, then, to give advice to children?