Work Text:
I have fleeting memories of a joyful little girl,
one I used to know.
She found happiness in whatever she could.
Smart as a whip, a social butterfly, that was she.
Every summer, she visited Ocean City, Maryland.
I remember she loved the ocean.
Maybe it was the salt that drew her to the sea.
Perhaps it was the boardwalk and its endless stretch of booths,
full of games and curios and ice cream.
She always sought adventure.
Her favorite ride on the pier was the roller coaster.
The sharp turns, sudden drops, and stops called her name.
Her mind was a curious one.
Never was there a concept she had no desire in learning.
She needed to know everything about anything,
such was the mind of an engineer.
Maybe she is, I don’t know.
I began seeing her less when she turned seven. She was gone altogether before she graduated elementary school.
Where has she gone? When will she come back?
Why did she even leave?
All that’s left is a shell of a being that can’t go on.
I need to see her again, even if it’s the last time.
I hope I’ll find her where she was every summer, in Ocean City, Maryland.