Dropping the rose-colored glasses

Childhood slipped away, and I dropped the rose-colored sunglasses full of hope my parents had given me.

I don't remember the days I felt young and innocent

But I remember the lies they told me to keep me sane

"Monster aren't real, and the dark won't hurt you, just try and stay in your lane."

"Bad dreams are just dreams, they can't come true,"

"And everyone who smiles is a friend to you."

"If you wish on a star, your dreams will all be near,"

"And the ones who love you will always be near."

But, as I grew older, I saw through their words,

The monster were hiding in plain sight, unheard.

The dark wasn't just shadows, it was where fears grew.

And the smiles weren't always what I thought I knew.

Wishing on stars left me feeling small,

As dreams slipped away, I couldn't catch them all.

And the ones who loved me, some stayed but most faded.

"But we lied to protect you, until we couldn't because you saw right through."

It was all rose-colored a while ago

But childhood lipped away

And I dropped the pink heart-shaped glasses

The monsters grew legs and walked in my mind,

The shadows were deeper, more cruel and unkind.

The dreams I once chased turned into ghosts in the wind,

And the faces I trusted were never quite friends.

I learned the hard way, through tears and through scars,

That wishing on stars doesn't fix broken hearts.

And though some still love me, their voices fade,

As I navigate this word feeling a little less amazed.

But I keep moving forward, through the dark and the doubt, 

Searching for truth in the silence and shout.

I'm finding my strength in the stories I tell,

And I'm learning to live with the monsters as well.

Though the dreams are still distant, and the stars seem far,

I'm learning to see in the dark.

And though childhood's illusions are long gone and done, 

I'll find my own light as I embrace what I've become.