The world was perfect when I was younger 
Not knowing of kids starving
Having to eat only the small portions of food given in lunch lines
Instead I would get home cooked meals
And play princess in the woods 
The world was perfect when I was younger
Not knowing insecurity 
To myself I was perfect 
Not caring about my outfits
Not caring about how I was perceived 
The world was perfect when I was younger
Not knowing the trauma the Church handed out
To Native Americans
To the LGBTQ+
To me 
Instead I was playing believer
The world was perfect when I was younger 
Not knowing of the pain of loss
Not realizing death is forever 
For me I believed in a fake afterlife
The world was perfect when I was younger 
Not knowing how corrupt the government was 
Only seeing the golden America advertised to me 
The propaganda winning against my psyche
Not seeing the war crimes committed daily
Not seeing the racism ingrained in our law
The world was perfect when I was younger 
Not knowing that people were so numb and sad they hurt themselves 
Instead I was playing swords in the backyard with my brother
The world was perfect when I was younger 
I was allowed to live in blissful ignorance for years 
While others had their eyes brutally opened to reality when they were just toddlers 
The world was perfect when I was younger
Not knowing the sexism in our society
Not knowing the statistic that 1 in 4 girls will be assaulted before graduating
Not knowing going to a party would be a war zone 
Where boys will drug you to get you alone
Instead I was dreaming of future careers
The world was perfect when I was younger
Not knowing how the country hated gay people
Not knowing I was gay
Instead I was dreaming of marrying a man and having children
The world was perfect when I was younger
Not knowing of the civil war in our country
Not knowing the hate people held for each other
Not knowing of the bigots
Instead I was playing patriot
When I was younger the world was perfect 
I thought plagues were a thing of the past
Only to grow up and watch one take control of our lives for 2 years
When I was younger the world was perfect
The world is not perfect
Why couldn’t it be perfect?