Thirteen

There was a time when the trees seemed taller, A time when the grass seemed greener and the colors brighter. A time when the sky seemed like an everlasting blue, Where the clouds seemed to take on countless different shapes, Each representing a different corner of my imagination. A time when the ocean seemed warm and welcoming and in no way dangerous, The tides of time had not yet swept me off my feet. In fact everything was harmless, A sprawling landscape full of oddities and endless adventures. My God it was so easy to be taken by wonder and amazement, For everything was new and waiting to be experienced. It was a time when I felt safe and protected, Nothing or no one could do me harm. I was a product of my environment and for that I am truly grateful, But where there is joy there is pain. Where there is happiness there is melancholy. There is now an infinite and unavoidable sadness to it all. A darkness had found its way inside me, Burrowing itself deep within my soul. I guess my innocence had died with my shattered dreams long ago. It did not happen suddenly or forcefully, There was no particular time or dehumanizing event. No agonizing terror or inconceivable folly, No not at all. In fact it seemed to have happened gradually... Slowly, minute by minute, piece by piece, My innocence and youth were stripped away. Something dark had hi-jacked my consciousness, Something evil had taken the wheel. With each new dose of reality I began my inevitable path to manhood, With time I had succumb to the realization that life is cruel and death is imminent. I now believe there is no good left in the world, That there is no act truly genuine. People are driven by their own desire for self-fulfillment, People are fake. There is a darkness lurking in everyone waiting to claw its way out... With this realization I decided to give up my dreams and mold into some sort of apparition, A shadow of my former self. My guess is a part of me died when the clock struck thirteen...