From Ideal to Real

To start, I saw the world with naïve eyes;

all rainbows, daisies, smiles and butterflies.

Thought, “Surely, no one ever could do harm!”

Alas, I saw the truth and was alarmed.

We learned of terrorists and such at school;

of murderers and politicians cruel;

I wondered how they lived with so much hate - 

enough to cut the string of someone’s fate.

Discouraged, brought down by my empathy

for troubles suffered by those I can’t see,

I stood up with the fiery rising sun, 

yet wilted with it to the horizon. 

Then I saw life begin to pick up pace, 

and decided that I’d come face to face  

with problems, people, aches and pains galore,

so that I may uncover the “wherefore?”

The wonders of this world seen by many

held all of them in fixed captivity.

But I was enamored with the unseen;

the new, unknown, marv’lous  discoveries.

I learned that I could not sit idly by;

Let mem’ries and opportunities slide

Instead, I rage against the dying light

So I will not be taken by the night.

At present, I am almost fully grown

With lessons learned and skills that have been honed

I now see our world as a balanced scale

Where yes, bad wins, but goodness still prevails.