Editor’s Note: Journalism I students who have published on the Hyphen website this school year were given the opportunity to write and publish a final message to readers on a topic and with a style of their choice.

by Ayianna Maddox

To be naive once again.

The world out here is cruel.

To not see crystal clear, but to see a cartoon.

To see the world bright and colorful again, instead of bland and dull.

How I miss hearing the ice cream truck’s tune.

Now I wake to a snooze alarm.

To not have a care in the world.

To yearn for the newest toy, not an extra 5 minutes.

The years passed by, believing they’d last forever.

The memories slip away, but small fragments of nostalgia remain.

Excavated memories and treasures.

Innocence to reality.

The world has never looked the same.

Looking back is realizing that every day that naive child is still present.

That naive child lives in my heart, where she’s always been since the start.