Never in Danger

“Don’t make that face or it will stick with you!”
Yet my comic expression remained, and I was never in danger.

“Don’t play ball in the house or you’ll poke your eye out!”
But we had such fun indoors, and I was never in danger.

“Don’t go swimming after you’ve eaten or you’ll get a cramp!”
That rule I broke many times, and I was never in danger.

“Get down from that tree before you fall!”
Still, friends and I climbed that tree countless times and were never in danger.

“Make sure you don’t miss the bus or you’ll fail your class!”
Yet I passed the class, and I was never in danger.

“Don’t watch that scary movie just before bedtime!”
While the only thing I experienced was fun, not danger.

“Make sure you practice safe sex!”
I’ve grown older… maybe I’m not in danger?

“Don’t get mixed up in drugs and alcohol!”
I’m such an adult now… and nothing else you said put me in danger…

There are so many true dangers in the world…
And you [society] have cried “Wolf!” so many times –
How will I [your children] ever distinguish true danger?