Excuse me, but can you help me out?

You see, I swear she was right here

Right where I left her

Freckled faced, dishwater blonde

Grass stained knees, teeth too big, legs too short

Heart as big as the ocean

Curious, hopeful, trusting

Blue eyes open wide to a world of possibilities

Dreams bigger than her small corner of the world

You see, I went on ahead

I promised to come back for her some day

But I got lost along the way

I got lost in chasing those dreams down dead end streets

I got distracted by the promises made by those who did not deserve that trust

Curiosity outweighed caution, hope was replaced by despair

My blue eyes are too clouded by tears to see anything apart from impossibility

My knees are scraped and bloodied

My teeth broken on screams that no one hears

My heart drowns in an ocean of what could’ve been

My freckles are replaced with age marks and my dishwater blonde has faded to grey

So now, I have come back

I have come back to find that piece of me I left behind for a rainy day

The piece of me who remains innocent, unjaded, untarnished by all this life has done to me

I have come back to reclaim her, to remember

What it feels like to be young, hopeful, trusting

To dream….

So, can you help me out?

You see, I swear she was right here…..