I Was Five Once

Written anonymously

I was five once,

It tasted like sugar, and it felt like rainbows

The world looked so colorful,

So vast like an ocean.

I was nine

It tasted like a sour patch kid.

Sometimes too sweet

Sometimes too sour

But, never just right.

It felt like a bruise,

A bruise that had been painted on by a fist.

The world looked grey.

I was thirteen once.

The world tasted bitter,

Like the coffee you get in hospitals

When your brother is in a coma,

All because of some drunken fun gone bad.

The world looked black that day,

I couldn’t see past the puddle tears at my feet.

I was 16

It tasted like cigarettes,

It tasted like a handful of random pills.

It felt painless

The world looked like a dimming light.

I am still here.

I was 18

It tasted like gum that hadn’t been chewed all the way,

Like it still has the sugar pieces.

It felt heavy

Being burdened with glorious purpose.

Walking across that stage

It felt like waves.

My hand shook as I was handed the diploma.

“grab with your left, shake with your right.”

The world looked colorful again,

This time however it has a few more shades.

— Anonymous