Written by Writer Shweta Ranjane and Edited by Editor Mrinali Jadhav

Full of innocence, 
wonder, and 
playfulness wild 
I was a free child.
Smiling bright, chasing fireflies,
Beneath the moonlit, starry skies.

In a world full of surprises,
I found wonder and endless prizes.

Some may call it 
"kinda lame," but 
to me,
It was a game of joy, 
a source of glee.
For in those fleeting moments, 
I was free.

Oblivious of the perils that lay ahead,
Soon the desire to be a teenager 
stirred and spread.

Truly a momentous era,
With tempo of firsts and lasts, 
but relentless and fast,It was symphony of joy and heartache,
A lifetime's song it wrote.
And in every note, a memory did stay.

But the thrust into the teenage fray,
Soon made me say,
Maybe adulthood is good, 
I really didn't know 
I was about to spoil my mood.

And then, in the blink of an eye, 
I was an adult,
Joining a scary cult.
And now there is no turning back.

Now I have to survive shouldering 
the weight of life's many tumults,
Faking smiles, 
watching people try and cry.
Growing tired and 
soulless with each passing day.

Responsibilities and obligations weigh me down,
Threatening to crush me under their heavy crown.
Stealing my colour, 
my shine.

A sweet kid to a rager teenager 
to a mature adult.
The journey was truly beautiful.But,
Time just flew.

But what of the inner child, 
the spark that once ignited,
That filled me with wonder and joy, 
that never subsided?
Do I abandon it, 
cast it aside like a worthless thing,
Or do I embrace it, let it soar, let it take wing?

For who decides when I am too old to play,
When my childlike wonder must be tucked away?
Why must I relinquish the joy and innocence I crave,
And succumb to a life of drudgery, 
misery, and grave?

Can I not be both mature and innocent,
Playful and serious, in perfect complement?
Can I not revel in the simple pleasures of life,
Without succumbing to stress, and strife?

For in the depths of my being, 
my inner child thrives,
A flame that never dies, that forever survives.
So let me embrace that child, let it shine bright,
And live my life with a spirit that never loses sight.

A beauty that forever will resound,
And in my heart, the rhythm will be found.
Because,I am still a child.
Full of innocence, wonder, and playfulness wild.