Digital publication | Page 31

Empty.

Broken.

All because

of a choice I made

years

and

years

and years

ago.

When I was a child,

my worst fears

were scraping my knee

or getting stung by a bee.

I wish I could go back in time

and tell myself

that there were things much worse

than a little bit of blood,

or a little pinch

of pain.

Now,

my worst fears are

losing a job,

losing money,

losing.

But I cannot deny,

I am still scared

of bees.

Maybe,

just maybe,

there is still a child

stashed somewhere within me.

When I was a child,

I lived in the future.

Bad days came and went,

but still,

I was excited.

Excited to try again,

excited to try something new.

The past and the present

dragged with boredom,

but the future was undiscovered,

exciting,

magical.

I live in the past

reminiscing about my childhood,

basking in its pleasant warmth,

the warmth

that will never,

not even in a million years,

disappoint me.

When I revisit my dreams,

my laughter,

and my smiles,

I feel

the comfort

of

home.

The past

shows me that sometimes,

drowning in memories,

whether they are

waterfalls of emotion,

or recollections vivid with color,

can bring

the same amount of joy

as the original experience

itself.

Sometimes,

I wish I were still a child,

free and adventurous

in a world filled

with opportunity.

But now,

there is a new adventure,

a new purpose,

and I know that adulthood

never takes away

possibility.

Once, I was a child,

reckless and free,

and now,

I am older and wiser,

but

the child inside me remains

and will remain

forever.

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