The Whispers of Childhood

I dreamed of my childhood today,

That smile, so pure, so free,

Not the practiced curve I wear now,

Not the mask the world must see.

I used to chase what made me glad,

Used to eat without a care,

Now every bite is measured, weighed,

As though my worth is tethered there.

The innocence that filled my heart,

Has been taken by this cruel tide,

The child within me cries to breathe,

But I keep it buried deep inside.

For fear of judgment, harsh and cold,

I lock that tender self away,

This adulthood’s a war inside—

My heart, my brain, they clash all day.

And at night, the overthinking starts,

Thoughts that pull and twist and bite,

Just longing to escape it all,

To hide away, out of sight.

I dream of running through the trees,

Of living where the clouds kiss sky,

In a cottage small, alone and still,

To leave this world and its harshness behind.

For it’s too much, this weight I bear,

Too sharp, too cold, too real, too near,

I wish to breathe like I did then,

When life was simple, when life was clear.