Reminders of Freedom

I hope sometimes you can find yourself, lost within that childlike innocence,

Where you feel a state of utter bliss

And the laughter roars from deep within, stumbling out without crying for help

When the weight on your shoulders was from your backpack on your first day of school

And not from the pain you've been harboring and hiding from yourself

The days when you would stand up on the very tops of your toes and reach your arms and fingers out as far as they'd go

Grasping that forbidden item that's just out of reach

Maybe it's toys or maybe it's hidden treats

The mountain of candy from Halloween

Back in those days, when I know you felt like a queen

You had no reason to question your being

You lived and breathed in an air of ease

Forever at peace

With the roof over your head and the floor beneath your feet

The love lived in the noises of the others at home

The living room TV or the ringing telephone

The noises that kept you from feeling less alone

So when the night starts to call you home

And you've grown too old to be afraid of being alone

And you're too ashamed to call back home to the place that you've loathed and so long despised

Let out your cries and reach deep down inside

Underneath the pain is a child pushed aside

Left behind

Stuck at the back of the line

Reach back and offer her a soft hand

A warm embrace

Kiss her forehead and squeeze her close

Remember what it felt like to be that girl

And no longer allow her to remain a ghost

A shell of who you were

Who you wanted to be

We all have had moments that had some semblance of feeling free

So dig deeply

You will see what I mean

When I say I truly hope your childlike innocence can come out to play

To show you the brightness on the darkest of days

To take you away to an imaginary land of make-believes and fairy tales

Where laughter abounds

And dancing and running is always allowed

Where yelling with joy shows the world that you're proud

I hope you find that sound

Within yourself, I hope you find this all out

And stop that self doubt

Learning to let the bad voices out

You no longer have to shout for your acceptance

Embrace the innocence

Embrace the chances

The changes

Let the laughter be contagious

And be so silly it's outrageous

We all need a chance to start again

So let yourself out

Revel in her goofy beautiful dance