The Childhood That Disappeared

September 2nd-Isabella Robinson

The Childhood That Disappeared

Emmie Hanks

The toys lined up in rows
Who could be played with first
From the sewn-on smile of the dolls
Who never seemed to blink
To the sharp edges of building blocks
Waiting for unexpecting bare feet
The options were unlimited
But the game of hide and seek won
Sneaking around the figures with no faces
Scaring away the shadows that leap under the bed
But the shadow of responsibility only grew
The piles of papers found first
The fear of failure takes over
While my younger self is still hiding