Oh, To Feel

Oh, to feel
Once more
As we did
Before

To be awash
In the mindless bliss of youthful ignorance
Unaware
The dangers which lurk
In every warm embrace and sideways glance

Oh, to feel
Anything else
But this empty echo
And a distaste for myself

How quickly we grow
Numb and cold
Distant and alone
Listening with misplaced trust
To the voices that come from within
Telling us
That nothing is ever as it seems
That nothing can ever be achieved
By reaching for our dreams

But we have learned
And are learning still
To find ourselves
In the absence of ambivalent ambiguity
To speak with our own voice
And decide for ourselves who we listen to
What we choose to believe
What we choose to pursue
And the feelings we allow to carry forward
As well as those we allow to fall away
For better
Or for worse