POETRY

Misplaced

On lost things

Photo by Nabeel Hussain on Unsplash

Do you ever

lose

things?
Not like memories
or possessions
but more akin
to your sense of self?

I used to think
that I could maintain
my childlike sense of wonder

forever.

Yesterday, though, a young person
looked to me for an adult answer
and I realized I had put that child away

forever.

I hope he is somewhere
turning over slimy rocks
smiling shyly at girls
and running and laughing
with the sun on his face.

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