Whatever Happened?

I stare at the luminous, star filled night sky...
Moon so large and bright; full and lovely tonight.
The wind blowing on my face, making my long hair flow behind me.
It's so enchanting tonight...makes me think back...
Makes me begin to remember the beautiful times we used to have.

The joyous laughter and the exciting mock fights...
Our parents' shoulders shaking with mirth at our silliness.
Whatever happened to those innocent times...?
The days where we'd just run wild; so happy and cute.
I can't believe it died so fast...

Whatever happened, Brother...where'd our childhood go?
From whence did this demon called adulthood come?
It took from us our innocence...our purity.
It's so difficult to remember that we were once so close,
And yet, now so far apart.

Memories swirl around me...they fill my very being.
The time we went to the ocean takes over my mind.
A glorious night...the two of us just staring at the stars.
Listening to the waves crash unto each other...
The old plaid blanket our only protection against the harsh wind.

Oh, Brother, whatever happened to those days of innocence?
We were so pure...so beautiful and perfect.
The days where we'd just lie around the house...
Telling each other stupid jokes we'd heard a thousand times before,
No matter how many times it was told, we'd laugh just the same.

It was all taken away the day Mother died...
That cold, rainy...ever so dreary day of her burial.
Her fair face was devoid of the expressions that usually adorned it.
It was when we closed the casket and lowered her down...we died, Brother.
We entered the empty, gloomy realm of adulthood.

Whatever happened, Brother...where'd our childhood go?
From whence did this demon called adulthood come?
It took from us our innocence...our purity.
It's so difficult to remember that we were once so close,
And yet, now so far apart.

I stare at the luminous, star filled night sky...
Moon so large and bright; full and lovely tonight.
The wind blowing on my face, making my long hair flow behind me.
It's so enchanting tonight...makes me think back...
Makes me begin to remember the beautiful times we used to have.

I turn away from the beautiful sight...
Tears burn my eyes and blur my vision as I remember...
That it was six years to the day that she passed...
And that it was one year to the day...
Brother died protecting his country from terror...and his little sister from pain.