Flying off swing sets, glimpses of sunsets, blades of grass floating in the air.
Snowflakes on my tongue, so much to become, dreams as big as a triple-dog-dare.
Chasing after leaves like a dog chases bees - relentlessly and rightfully fun.
Broken arms, not broken hearts, with band-aids to fix all my wounds.
Sadness existed solely in silence or when I was sent to timeout.
I didn’t yet bear the weight of the world. My bare arms were too busy living.
Surviving off smiles and makeshift mud pies, my backyard bakery was thriving.

I think back on that time when the whole world was mine. I wonder where I went since then.
That little blonde girl with the ribbons and curls doesn’t recognize herself anymore.
My old friends are gone, they simply moved on. I guess I had to move on too.
Monsters and demons crawled from under my bed, into my head.
And sticks and stones couldn’t touch my bones. My words were all that could hurt me.
My arms are now scarred from when life was too hard. They’re not bare anymore.
I’m more and more scared, I wasn’t prepared for my dreams to disappear.
It’s hard to have dreams when you struggle to sleep. I wish I could sleep through the night.
I wish I could see through the eyes of what used to be.

Why is the world so different than it seemed?
I’m ripped at the seams.
I can hear the screams.
From the little girl who had dreams drowned in the world.