By: Juliet Kennedy

i open an old box to find my kindergarten memories, and under the papers and pictures and arts and crafts, i stumble across an old crayon box.

the entire box was filled with gray crayons.

confused, i look to the labels to see what colors they once were, closing my eyes and picturing the world the way my 5 year old self did.

vibrant yellows brighter than the sun,
cerulean blues matching even the deepest of the seas, rich greens that put thick grasses to shame.

i look back down at the box that was once filled with an array of beautiful shades, sighing as i realize how much they’ve dulled.

i look around me, and i’m hit with another pang of a sentiment i can’t quite describe–as i realize that the world around me had dulled, too.