Wish for What I Once Had

As a child,

I took for granted

All my blessings,

My contentment in silly things,

My innocence, now gone,

My ignorance of the world’s evils,

My trust that Mommy could cure a cut

With a simple kiss.

As I grew older,

I learned of evils:

Swear words,

Drugs,

Harassment,

Racism,

Murder.

Too late I appreciate my naïveté. 

How to cope

With the ugliness of the world

That is gilded over

With a façade of entertainment and pleasantries? 

Often I yearn

To return to that state

Of mindless wandering

Blind to strife and affliction.

If knowledge is power,

The lack thereof

Is surely bliss.