a misunderstood understanding

I remember being a little girl

Not understanding how the people around me who have so much

Food, protection, vaccines

Could go throughout their lives

Not helping those who are starving

Who are dying

I couldn’t understand how excess ever became acceptable

 

I remember being a little girl

Pulling up worms

Running, filled with fresh clean air

Going to the river and seeing trash floating by

I remember learning about how the turtles and ducks would choke on the trash

And I couldn’t understand why anyone would be so careless

 

I remember being a little girl

Sitting on the edge of our drive-way

Petting the dogs that walked by

Chatting freely with the owners

Waiting for somebody to learn from

And I couldn’t understand why everyone was so hurried

 

I remember being a little girl

Adults told me I would understand things better when I was older

But the older I get, the clearer it becomes;

That little girl understood the world

She just didn’t understand how to fix it