Author Information
Paper Lanterns
I have the sun and stars above my head,
Underneath a deep purple sky full of light.
Everything around me seems so beautiful,
Yet something in me slowly dims tonight.
I smile when there is something to smile about,
I feel hopeful, carrying my wishes like colorful paper lanterns;
But between those ordinary, glowing moments,
A quiet ache flickers somewhere inside.
I don’t know exactly what I’m longing for,
Or why my chest feels muted beneath shades of gray.
Maybe it’s the people I’ve lost along the way,
The weight of time and places I can never return to.
Maybe it’s the younger me still wondering
If life would ever feel a little less lonely.
And even within this wide, borrowed sky,
I am still searching for the place where I finally belong.
Perhaps some sadness needs no reason,
No name, no forgotten memory we can point to.
Perhaps it lingers silently within the soul,
Even while we stand surrounded by warmth and beauty.
