Look at the stars,

Look how they shine for you,

And everything you do.

As a child there is so much more to see,

There is so much more freedom to be.

When I was six it seemed there was,

So much more time than there is now.

The grass was so much greener

And the laughs were so much louder

I could close my eyes and believe

No monsters were lurking there

Now I close my eyes and the truth never goes away

Those demons in the shadows are here to stay.

Do you remember

When every dandelion was a gift;

A world unto itself;

Wish after wish after wish?

When did we start grumbling,

Like our parents so often do,

About the weeds and the lawn mower.

As we grow older,

Does nothing stay true?

The backyard used to be an adventure upon adventure;

A pirate ship,

A dragon's den.

We could go to Japan,

Swim the ocean blue,

Or create somewhere entirely new.

Now I barely glance out the window,

At where I used to roam,

Now I'm much too busy;

Work

Homework

School.

I always have somewhere else to be;

Always something better to do,

But now I realize,

How quickly days slip away from you.

I remember my best friend,

Who had so much more than me

But I never had a green-eyed monster.

I just went to her house

And she just came to mine.

I never thought about her expensive toys,

How she held her head higher,

Than I ever could.

Now I look around,

Not sure if I like what I see,

All these green eyes flashing 'round,

Sometimes seated beside me.

When did all that I had,

All that I always thought would be enough

Cease to be?

Since when do we want

Need

Demand

Things that won't even matter a year

From the day you said

"I need some money to go buy this"?

It's not only the possessions that have become

A point of need; a staple in society

It's become our looks

Whose hand we hold

if any –

The alcohol we drink

And who we've taken to bed.

(how many)

Why is there hiding your head because

Of something you've done

From your past that you wish to let go of?

Why do we laugh at those

Who make different choices,

Not caring as slowly they shut their eyes to fade away

While you strut around like you own the place?

Too much of one is toxic.

Too much of the other is poison.

Flip flop

Back and forth

Never knowing where you stand

Even with yourself.

You can stand and watch

Eyes focused on how they

Take what they want,

Not full of themselves,

But sure,

As you stand,

Heart thumping wildly,

Too intimidated by all that's around you

To even utter

hi

As a child,

Wouldn't you have walked right up,

Without all these questions of acceptance,

And thoughts of being judged,

Running through your head.

Funny how much things can change

In the span it takes you to blink.

The world takes one rotation

And, suddenly, no one is who you

Thought them to be.

You remembered when you could talk to her,

As you'd known her all your life,

Yet now

All you can feel is the sting of her knife

Built of the words said behind your back

And to your face.

There was a time when kindness

Unmotivated

Unquestioned

Pure-of-heart

Kindness

Was as common as the leaves on trees

And now

Everyone wants something,

You ask yourself about ulterior motives behind their smile,

Not believing you've come to the point,

Where you can't believe,

Someone is just being nice.

As a child

I never cared for tantrums

Never had to yell

But now I feel there's so much

To rage and complain about

It used to take a deep breath,

A squeeze shut of the eyes,

And then I was okay,

Nothing harsh left to express,

Nothing brutal left to say

But as I've grown,

So has a roar within me,

That I can't quite quench,

It's a growl

Fire

That explodes when I least expect it

And never goes a way.

A tear always seems to be on my cheek,

Or threatening to fall.

It used to be I cried

Over scraped knees

And broken toys.

Now sadness is it's own kind of disease.

Everywhere I look,

A problem's plaguing someone.

It used to be that a smile

Was always genuine, simple

Brought on by something like rock candy

And sunshine.

Now happiness is worked for,

No longer comes to me naturally,

Yet another reason

To become the child I used to be.

The child that threw her arms wide open,

Had the entire world next to her chest,

Never believing she would love any less.

Or be loved

But like all things made of gold,

Tarnish comes,

Taking over,

The chaos unfolds.

Deep rooted despise,

Biting words,

Tragic thoughts unbound

Wrenched the world from her grasp,

To fall in shattered pieces

And all she had held with her heart,

Adored up close,

Loved from afar,

She struggles to collect

Not ready to accept

It had never been perfect

Would never be.

As a child

I saw all the colours

But my universe was so very black and white

There was wrong

And there was right.

I used to understand

Saw with different eyes,

If I had kept that point of view,

I think:

If I had managed to stay that true,

Would my life be better

Or would I simply be torn apart

By all those fellows that had outgrown,

Their childhood hearts?

I've forgotten all the colours,

Let everything fade away

But there's not just black and white,

There's too many shades of grey.

Nothing is clear for me now,

It's like looking through mud

Where there used to be crystal.

I look back on who I was,

To who I have become,

To what I might someday be.

The stars used to be a magical place to visit in my dreams,

Yet now I know what they truly are.

I no longer look at a ladybug

As it's own miracle.

There's no erasing who I was

Or the trials I've walked through.

There's been changes and there'll be changes still.

Maybe there's magic in the sky remaining,

In every blade of grass

And people will help a stranger

Without having to be asked.

We'll all rediscover our hearts

As we uncover who we are;

There's no question: we've come so far.

I'll love with my whole heart

I'll leave my tears behind.

Just as I've experienced before,

It will simply take some time.

Your skin

Oh yeah your skin and bones

Turn into something beautiful

You know, you know I love you so.

©The Last Letter

The lyrics at the beginning and the end are from Yellow by Coldplay.