I Remember Those Days

I remember what happiness was

It was before everything got so real

I remember my mother

Young and beautiful

Smart and confident

Always laughing

So loving and sweet

 

I remember the summer swimming pools

Tennis courts

Yellow sundresses

I remember the smile that hung on my face

I can still hear the laughter that lingers

After all these years

Transforming into painful echoes as time goes by

Reminding me of what I’ve lost

 

The smell of summer breeze in Detroit

The autumn sunlight in Chicago

Chinese New Year in NYC

The white heavy snow in Tokyo

The sunrise in Johannesburg

 

Those were the days before things got real

Before all the fights my parents had

Before my brother grew distant

Before mom was sick

Before I had to protect myself from the world

And from the closest people I knew

Before I got sick too

 

I remember those days

I used to know what happiness was

What a genuine smile felt like

How simple a laughter can be

I remember those days

 

I remember what happiness was

It used to live under my skin

But now I’m soaked in the tears of yesterday