Nostalgia is my Favorite Tylenol

by Shanelle Felipe

How cruel it is to keep the memories,

the skeleton, 

the blueprint of a place long gone.

We can’t go back. 

Even if we could, the hallways are empty,

your childhood bedroom, dusty

and untouched. 

The smell lingers, 

the people don’t. 

Where else can we move,

but forward? 

Time is linear, 

hearts are not. 

Who could ever tell little you 

that nostalgia is grief

borrowed from the future. 

So, don’t look back anymore. 

you will only see strangers 

and love tucked into 

the goldfish bowl

you forgot when you left for college. 

Your hands are bigger now 

and so are your dreams,

your ambitions,

your reading lists,

and travel wishes.

Look up. 

And beyond. 

See how far you have come 

and the distances you will reach. 

Run so far 

nostalgia cannot nip at your heels

if you never look back.