What Happened?

What happened to those times when laughter came so easily?
I don’t have it much anymore.
It doesn’t come from deep within.
No,
not like it used to.
What happened?

I feel it has been the roads which I’ve chosen.
Those byways of connections,
Loves which were lost,
Memories not made,
Times forgotten.
What happened?

It happened.
This happened.
Life happened.

Sadness.
An emotion which is so difficult to erase.
A heart which refuses to mend.
A soul which can’t find laughter,
not like it used to know.
Back when this woman wore pig tails,
carefree, wild, untamed.
Running through the saw grass.
What happened?

Life opened its burden,
plunged it deep within,
budded its flawed flower,
shrugged its shoulders unsparingly.

What happened?
Where is this laughter?
It is torn,
shredded,
marred,
obliterated.
Life consumed it all.