Waking.

Mother, today
Someone taught me how to cry.
Someone taught me that pretending
Is the only way to survive
In this world.

Mother, today
Today I watched them
As they played
Hopscotch, jacks, and
Freeze tag.

Oh, Mother,
Let me go back...
Go back to the way it was
Before I knew that pretending
Was really pretending

And when I knew the world
For what it really was-
Beautiful.