I was raised in an arcade

With tokens in my ears.

Skiball was my gym class

Punch-Out stopped my tears.

 

My teacher’s name was Splinter.

We traveled all through time.

And in the lonely Winters I bought

tickets with my time.

 

Lazer tag at recess.

Nacho Slushee lunch.

I’d have the same for breakfast,

While you had captain crunch.

 

Then I graduated

I beat the final boss;

Not Goro or M.Bison -

But what had it cost?

 

I got the go kart,

200 thousand coughed.

Then I left the arcade

All my high scores lost.

 

Cruising USA,

I saw the wider world.

The legendary gauntlet,

my caliber of soul.    

 

When I have children

will The gears of guilt

call me back to arcades,

Or is that instinct killed?

 

Instant Kill!  

 

 

I won’t know till then

So for now I’ll just say

I will never regret     

Learning how to play.