Ignorance is Innocence

Being a kid

Living the dream, right?

No bills, no responsibilities

School and play and sleep, school and play and sleep

Maybe for the priveleged few

In this world, not everyone is so lucky.

It's June 2017, Miami, Florida,

The burning sun scorches shoulders the instant they leave the cool of the airport

Complaints and complaints from a group of youth here for "community service"

But really looking for a vacation from nagging parents

Wynwood District Shelter for the Homeless.

Passing through metal detectors and emptying out pockets

More groaning

More complaints.

Into the kitchen where an endless line of poor souls stand patiently for their next meal

What seems like hours go by, mindlessly scooping an undetermined substance onto plates.

A caught eye. 

In all the comotion, a little girl, 10 or so, stands with her plate held close to her chest

As if she's scared it could be taken away.

In that moment, the complaints of the group seem baseless.

We can later return home to our bedrooms, our phones, our stocked refrigerators and our loving families

But right now, all she has is a plate. 

Some are forced to grow up too fast

They have a piece of their lives taken from them

And as the group boards the plane home

We feel heavier

Heavier with knowlege and heavy with a new sense of understanding

That as that little girl had her childhood taken from her,

We too had lost a bit of our innocence

As they say, "ignorance is bliss"

But we wouldn't have it any other way. 

 

 

This poem is about: 
Our world

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