if i knew when i was younger
that I would spend so much time
looking back to the days when things were simpler
yearning for it
with an ache that feels like grief
a longing that gnaws
like unsaid words

i might have enjoyed my time more
might have gone to the mall more often
might have told more secrets
got into trouble

if i had known the world doesn’t get any friendlier
that the scariness never really goes away
that i’ll still often feel like that 16-year-old farm girl
dressed in boots, patting cows
looking out across the field at the end of the barn
longing for something exciting to happen

maybe i would have realized sooner
that the stars don’t just fall for anyone