The World As I Know It

All the years spent within the walls of a tiny house.
All the years spent speaking like a tiny mouse.
Opinions kept close and whispered in the smallest voice.
I let you and many others make my choice.

Soon I began to realize, as I grew older
I no longer resembled that mouse, I grew bolder
I spoke out for myself, more importantly: for others
I held them as they cried, I was like their mothers.

Things no longer appeared to me in prisons
They held light, and color and looked like prisms. 
The voice I once limited and muted
I used loudly and was no longer diluted

I realized I watched the news more often
I appreciated small joys, like a flower blossom
The world I once looked at with tear stained cheeks
It occurred to me, things truly aren't that bleak. 

I grew older then when I realized
True beauty is around us, but disguised. 
From the smiles of those we love
to the gentle call before rain by a dove

Sometimes life is too hard to shoulder
And perhaps it even feels like a giant boulder
But then you see there are plenty of hands
Beckoning you to make a stand.

I learned that the world was not just about me
but instead about those who were going to come to be
Often we're so engrossed in our own lives
That we, sadly, forget how to survive.

So now as I've aged I've learned to take it slow
I stopped fighting the currents and went with the flow
Now just remember that there is plenty of time
So enjoy your life now, while you're still in your prime