Innocence Reprised

 

A child begins in boundless glee,
Where fear and joy both flow so free.
No blame is cast, no guilt is spun,
Just endless play beneath the sun.

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Though fear may come and anger rise,
They pass like clouds in open skies.
No lingering weight, no bitter chain,
Just feeling felt, a past refrain.

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Yet soon the child begins to see,
The power held by you and me.
The grown-ups live by right and wrong,
With rules both strict and voices strong.

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But soon the world begins to show,
That power reigns where children grow.
They watch the gods of earth decree,
What’s just, what’s right, what one must be.

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One path is guilt, the silent plea,
"If I’m not bad, they'll cherish me."
They bend, obey, yet deep inside,
Their joy and light begin to hide.

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Another path: to shift the blame,
Make others bear the weight of shame.
With sulks and threats, they stake control,
Yet feel no fullness in their soul.

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They mimic, fight, or seek to please,
But never find their hearts at ease.
The world feels harsh, yet still they try,
To grasp the rules and question why.

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Yet what if blame was cast aside,
And none were wrong, and none had lied?
What if we saw with open eyes,
Innocence and joy would be reprised.

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The world is messy, that is true,
Yet love remains in me, in you.
The House of Good and Bad may fall,
And truth stands waiting past its wall.

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So step beyond the fear and fight,
And see the world in truest light.
Born again as if a child,
Earth and heaven reconciled.