Return to Innocence by Olivia Salter | Poetry

Return to Innocence

By Olivia Salter

When we were neither grand nor wise,
And every wonder gleamed, bright as our eyes,
Life drifted softly, smooth as silk,
Each morning a taste of honey and milk.

But one day, in a closet where adults hide their things,
We found their grown-up costumes and tucked away our wings.
You slipped on gloves of Common Sense, laced up Pride’s stiff seams,
With Knowledge trailing wide, like a dress stitched from dreams.

I traded friendship for a mask of crimson-braided flair,
Put on glasses dark with doubt, tried to seem like I didn’t care.
Found a flask of irony hidden in a coat pocket too,
And we played the roles we’d watched grown-ups stumble through.

We were Prince and Sapphire Princess, crowns heavy on our heads;
You, stiff-necked with diamonds; me, cloaked in solemn reds.
The charade bound us tightly, even as we ached,
Caught in a dream where the costumes wouldn’t let us wake.

Now, that crown weighs heavy on your once-summered head,
And the scarlet on my jacket shows where innocence bled.
Their phrases echo sharply, their voices a clashing sound.
Let’s cast them off, walk softly, leave behind this quiet ground.

Lay down your wisdom, and I’ll pour the vine,
The bittersweet draught, the sunset’s red wine.
Come sit by the apple trees, in air sweet as dew,
And forgive the two fools who let go of their view.

Run, quick as sunlight flickering through trees,
Sing a silly song of apricots with me.
Innocence, sweet Innocence, white-washed and pure,
Come into the crooked wood—show us how to endure.