When Did It All Go Wrong
remember when a mere love letter would do the dirty work
when the most critical complication was failing a math test,
the sole heartbreak existing when your best friend sat with someone else
remember when invitations were of the most significance
parties didn’t involve cocktails
girls in short skirts weren’t referred to as sluts
and flawless models with perfect bodies were overlooked
remember when boys watched your ponytail and not your breasts
when girls actually played hide and seek with you instead of leaving you deserted, yet counting,
when games meant snakes and ladders,
not screwing someone over
remember when being granted a good night’s sleep only required bedtime stories,
not pills,
and mommy was beside you in the morning,
not a stranger,
when you rose to the smell of pancakes
not your deepest regrets.
remember when your parents were the ones that would break you and your sibling apart,
instead of you being the one breaking both of them apart
when you felt secure in your own house
not on your toes, awaiting the next fight
remember when poetry meant a rhythmic enchanted story
not a miserable ending put into cautious words.
I wouldn’t be able to comprehend this poem
let alone write it.
take me back to the innocent years
let me forsake what I’ve achieved thus far
take me back to my dollhouse
I’ll hide in the corner with my happiness .
Existence 2019
