Everything used to be so bright

and so colorful when we were younger.

Where did it all go?

The sight of the neon yellow and red 

bouncy houses at play days,

the bright green grass at recess,

and the sun smiling down on our young selves. 

Now everything is bland.

The sun stopped smiling.

Like a switch was turned off once we hit a certain age, 

just like the switch your mom would turn off after telling you 

good night while giving you a kiss on the forehead.

The laughter we used to have with friends,

now sobs crying in your room alone,

wondering what you did to deserve this. 

Now we don’t beg our moms to let us go jump on the trampoline outside.

Instead we rot in bed scrolling on our phones like it’s the only thing that will bring us real joy.

I want to go back to standing on my porch

with the smell of freshly-mown grass being blown with the wind,

being able to see the smiling sun,

everything colorful. 

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But now the lawn is dead,

it will never look the same.