(In a Sense) You Have Gone Before Us

as much as i try to shut you out
and put you deep into the ground
i wish i knew where you were
i wish i could just find you

you were cool summer nights
in a dirty old town
you were failed camping trips
into the unknown

you were skinned knees and tears
along the gravel road
from our run down childhood home
into the woods

you were high fives and jokes
and complete misconceptions
of the external world
we had yet to see

then at some point
we all woke up
we were all past 25
and you were gone

there was no exit strategy
no going away party
no cake, no ice cream
no swimming in the lake

just this sick feeling in our stomachs
as we looked around our respective empty rooms
wondering what had gone missing
wondering if we would ever see
that innocence ever again