When the stuffed animals sat in rows on your bed and all had a name.
How they befriended you when you were sent to your room and hugged you back when you cried. But now they lay alone in the dark attic until they just become fabrics stuffed with cotton that forget their own names
When a scraped knee was easily fixed and bandaged, but now the wild animal we call life scratches you and beats you down until it draws blood and you can no longer run to mom and dad to bandage you up. So you lick away the blood and forget about the way it stings until you see the scar it left behind.
When money was only used in monopoly. Easy to spend without the fear of running out because it’s only a game. Except now the game is trying to find a way to save enough money so you won’t be in debt for the next century.
Now all you can do is watch the way innocence clings to children the way you used to cling to trees as you climbed them with no fear. The way kids sprint off the bus, their backpacks hitting their heels as they run into their parents awaiting arms and all you can feel is a longing for your childhood back.
Because innocence doesn’t exist until you find out what it is.
Gwen Mannon is a member of the class of 2023. She enjoys playing soccer and staying active. She wants to go into the field of education and loves working with young children.