As A Child

As a child I wanted to ask why
I was handed a remote control;
As a child I wanted to touch a leaf
I was told to wash my hands;
As a child I wanted to hear the
sounds of a bird
I was told they were "dirty" and
full of germs;
As a child I wanted to reach for the
stars
I was told that weapons and rockets were already there;
As a child I saw other children crying in the news and on the TV
I was told we were "winning the war";
As a child I wanted to color a rainbow
But I wasn't allowed to play on the computer;
As a child I took a stick and drew pictures in the soil,
I was told that it interfered with the landscaping;
As a child my heart was full of joy
I was told to be quiet so everyone could hear the TV;
As a child my eyes wanted to take everything in
I was told to close them and dance to the beat;
As a child I was bewildered and hurting
I was told that we live in a Great Nation;
As a child - I grew up
Into a world filled with greed, rage, and anger,
Now my child asks, wonders, and feels,
And I will let him discover, ask, and find;
I will let him explore his world, holding in my heart the fear that there won't be one soon;
But, in the meantime, he will know what love, and fun, and touching and feeling is all about
So help me God.
©Arleen M. Kaptur 2003 February