So many sad faces.
Sore eyes and broken smiles.

It seems the older you get,
the more your eyes become dim.
The more your smile sags.
The more your eyes ache to close.

Why can't we all just take a moment?
A moment to look around
and enjoy this world we've been given.

There's a lot of pain in this world.
But there's so much joy as well.

A child's laugh.
Feeling the flowers.
Staring at the stars.
Falling in love.
Dancing in solitude like a maniac.
Laughing at yourself.

So much joy,
but we focus on the pain.

So many sore eyes and broken smiles
on seemingly happy faces.

I look at that girl,
the one in the mirror.
Is that really me?

That girl with the sore eyes.
The one with a broken smile.
What happened to her?

Then I remember all the pain.
All the nights she cried herself to sleep.
All the nights she couldn't even close her eyes.
All those days spent looking at a screen,
envying the girls that were living.

She longed for that,
for a connection.
But she feared vulnerability and honesty.

So she stayed cooped in her tower of her making.
Spending her days in deep sorrow.
Is this how to live?

Those summer nights,
spent by the sea.
Wrapped in your arms.
The world spinning out of control,
while we just stood still.
Holding on to each other,
like nothing else in the universe mattered.

Sad music playing.
The smell of magic and a bit of salt in the air.
Watching the sea meet the sand.
Gazing into your eyes
and at all of the stars,
they almost look the same.

These are the summer nights I wish I had.
Instead, I'm left with a broken smile.
Sitting on my bed at 1 am crying my heart out.
These feelings will fade,
but for right now;
they sting so much.

Ever since I left,
it was difficult to go back.
Sometimes too much has changed,
old friends become strangers.
People I can't even recognize.
Core values have changed,
and it seems the person I once knew is forever lost.
Other times,
it's just enough change to carry out a conversation.
It's fun to talk about past adventures,
but it gives me a sorrowful smile.
Most of you are strangers to me now,
but I still smile and laugh through the small talk.
Maybe I'm the stranger.

I wrote you a note at 5 am,
you read it,
with no reply.
Before you left you asked for a picture of the two of us.
I made a joke and we laughed through the pictures.
But all that I could think about was
how it felt to have your arm around me.
It was holding me,
as I held you.
I wish I could go back to that moment,
but it's gone.

When we said our goodbyes,
it hurt so much.
I wanted to tell you so many things,
but time was running out.
I hugged you so many times,
you thought it was strange.

As soon as you walked away,
my heart felt empty;
I missed your presence already.
We touched hands as you drove away
in that big green van.
I ran after you,
as did other friends.
But you were gone.

I can still see your eyes gazing into mine,
and your oh so sweet smile;
but you're gone.
Nowhere to be seen.