everything's gone

I stare into the depths of the empty space in my mind
where thoughts normally reside
what happened to me
it seems so long since the days of
carefree being
the days of
the sun on my face
and my heart filled with bliss
what happened to me
that child is gone
but is anything ever really gone
is that person still there
lurking in the corners of my mind
maybe if I stare long enough I'll find her
maybe i'll get a glimpse of what i could have been
if society hadn't squeezed the curiosity out of me like
python holding its victim in its grasp
teasing you
not letting that part of you die until
all hope of happiness is drained from your body
and your dreams of a better world come crashing
back to a dying earth
filled with dying people unwilling to share the burden of
life

keeping their feelings tight inside til it all comes spilling out
everything you wanted but never got
all the times you needed was someone to lean on
all the things you yearned to tell somebody, anybody...
then it gets stuffed back into the farthest places
out of reach
but just touching your consciousness enough to
make you stare yearningly into the darkness that has swallowed
the child within you