Happy Birthday

Today I’m twenty-four.

But I miss being twenty-two.

When the horizon was painted

In a more vibrant hue.

Now I can’t help but feel

I don’t enjoy life as I used to.

And when I was twenty-two,

I missed being nineteen.

When ideas coursed through me,

Like a flowing summer stream.

Unbound with the infinite freedom

To live out my wildest dreams.

And when I was nineteen,

I missed being eleven.

When I lived innocently,

Not pondering life’s questions.

Just existing, not a care in the world

I was so sure I’d get back to heaven.

And when I was eleven,

I missed being nine.

When it seemed like moments

Were frozen permanently in time.

Before the stars burned out of the sky

From the sadness of my mother dying.

And when I was nine,

I missed being five.

When my first memories surfaced

Confirming I was truly alive.

I’m okay with the present

Of just continuing to survive.

Happy Birthday

by D.W Forester