The Thought That Once Was

Location

I once believed

 

I once believed

That I could one day change the world

The world is a cruel place

And I wanted to change that

I wanted to take on the world

By myself

I once believed

That being poor meant you couldn’t be happy

And yet the richest people

Who are obsessed with money

Like their currency was a form of happiness

Thinking they could be happy with material objects

Who expects to be paid for the “good deeds” that they do.

But the blind man who plays a trumpet

In the New York subway station

Who owns nothing more than taht trumpet and the clothes on his back

Is playing for the whole world

And is happy

Yet doesn’t expect people to pay

I once believed

That if you were dying you must be suffering

But the ones who are dying

Close to death dying

Seem to be the ones

Who are most peaceful

It’s the living

Who are tortured

Whether it’s your overbearing mother

Abusive spouse

Or the worst of all

Your own mind

Who verbally and emotionally

Abuse you

Day in

And Day out

With no sign of relief

Like a man stranded on an island

With no hope of being rescued

I once believed

You had a right to kill yourself

That your life was your own

Nobody else could tell you how to live it

Or not live it

But our lives

Are interconnected web

With each thread connecting to another human

Person to person

And if your one thread was broken

The whole web’s structure became compromised

Nothing could be repairable.

I once believed

That everything I thought was true

That the world would be better off

If they thought the way I thought

But that was the thought that once was

And now my eyes

Have opened like a butterfly opens its wings

For the first time out of a cocoon

To show that what I once believed

Has turned into

What I now believe in

Hope

Life

Compassion

This is what I believe

That I could one day change the world

The world is a cruel place

And I wanted to change that

I wanted to take on the world

By myself

I once believed

That being poor meant you couldn’t be happy

And yet the richest people

Who are obsessed with money

Like their currency was a form of happiness

Thinking they could be happy with material objects

Who expects to be paid for the “good deeds” that they do.

But the blind man who plays a trumpet

In the New York subway station

Who owns nothing more than taht trumpet and the clothes on his back

Is playing for the whole world

And is happy

Yet doesn’t expect people to pay

I once believed

That if you were dying you must be suffering

But the ones who are dying

Close to death dying

Seem to be the ones

Who are most peaceful

It’s the living

Who are tortured

Whether it’s your overbearing mother

Abusive spouse

Or the worst of all

Your own mind

Who verbally and emotionally

Abuse you

Day in

And Day out

With no sign of relief

Like a man stranded on an island

With no hope of being rescued

I once believed

You had a right to kill yourself

That your life was your own

Nobody else could tell you how to live it

Or not live it

But our lives

Are interconnected web

With each thread connecting to another human

Person to person

And if your one thread was broken

The whole web’s structure became compromised

Nothing could be repairable.

I once believed

That everything I thought was true

That the world would be better off

If they thought the way I thought

But that was the thought that once was

And now my eyes

Have opened like a butterfly opens its wings

For the first time out of a cocoon

To show that what I once believed

Has turned into

What I now believe in

Hope

Life

Compassion

This is what I believe

Guide that inspired this poem: 

Comments

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741