My heart yearns
for that which is impossible to replace.

The long lost innocence
of the child I once was.
That warm, gentle smile
which has long since escaped this face.
The false illusion I once carried
that the world is a pleasant place.

A pure heart
that has not yet known grief or regret,
and a clean soul
to replace this old blackened one.

Everything I once knew has gone away.
Did it fade with the years?
The experience?
Or the corruption of my very being?

Was the process gradual,
or did it happen like a lightning flash,
in the blink of an eye?

My heart yearns
for that which is impossible to replace,
and it weeps, bitter with the knowledge that
what has been lost
cannot be regained.