When
By Loviel
When do we realize the truth of the world?
Is it when cartoons are replaced
With mass shootings and violence
Warning us of nuclear war
And which places to avoid
When do strangers
Become potential threats
Rather than potential friends
Jeopardizing our innocence
Our own sense of security
When do doctors appointments
Stop being about stickers and lollipops
And become bad news
Of deadly diseases
And declining life
When does my mind begin to lie?
The intrusive thoughts
The ones that lead me to believe
I am nothing
Discouraging my own capabilities
When do I begin to care
About my significance in the world
The invisible eyes upon me
Fearing a life I have not even
Begun to live
When do I become afraid?
Afraid of people
Of promise
Of possibility
Of my own perception