You were once a kid without a care in the world
And everyone was your friend
You didn’t worry about what the next day
Or week, or month, or even years would bring
You were a kid
You were little
And you talked to strangers
And you made sad grown-ups smile
And you thought anyone that was nice, was a hero
And you thought bad guys were just in movies
And you didn’t care about what anyone thought
And playing in dirt in your nicest clothes didn’t matter
(because they weren’t yours to wash)
And no one had any expectations for you

But then you started to grow up
And things started to change
And things started to matter
Everything affected what people thought of you
And what you did with your life
And who you would become
And who your friends were
And who your foes were
And you got judged by everything and anything
All because you grew up, with no say in the matter.
And you were handed more homework
And you started doing things on your own
And you were brought into the world of expectations
But you were also given freedoms
Which lead to temptations
And decisions
And you changed
And you changed again
And now, when you look in the mirror,
You aren’t sure who “you” really is anymore