Why do I get the urge to cry whenever I see happy pictures of you as a child?

It’s like a sudden, overwhelming sadness hits me

Looking at the loss of innocence in your eyes as you grow older in the photos before me

This progressive loss strikes a chord deep within me for some reason

It makes me want to take the traumatized child I see in my arms

And tell him it’s gonna be okay and that I’m there to ensure no more harm will come to him

I want to let him know that he can be loved and that he is so much more than enough

I want to protect him from all the misery that I know he will have to face

But I know that I can’t do these things that I want to

I know that I can’t protect the past you

So I suppose that’s why I get the urge to cry when I see you smiling in old photographs

Because I know that that happy, momentary innocence is just that

Momentary.