When I was little, I wanted to be known the world over
For what, I didn't know,
And I still don't
But in youth, reason means as much as
"Pick up your toys when you're through!"
And we all know that's not much.
But is it even possible,
World recognition?
I'll let you know.
I've read my share of inspirational speeches
The stories of heroes
And I have to wonder
Can I do that?
Can I change the world by myself?
Where do you start?
"Four score and seven years ago..."
"I have a dream..."
"Ask not what your country can do for you..."
How about:
"When I was little, I wanted to be known the world over?"
By the time I was fourteen,
I wanted to be a singer
But I don't have the voice.
There are other ways to sing,
To talk and express,
But those rely on courage
And believe me when I say
That I'm more nervous than ANYONE,
Right now
I thought the shakes would never stop,
And they probably won't
My palms are getting clammy
Just thinking about it.
But every day,
I add a grain of confidence to my cereal,
Munch the flakes and drink the extra milk.
Believe me, I'm no leader
But I can change that,
I WILL change that.
I'm seventeen
I'm just getting started,
On my speech, my poem, my life
I want to soak it all in like my cereal,
Soak in knowledge
And experience
And all that powdered confidence
And be known,
The world over.
I want to finish speaking,
And wait through a horribly long moment of silence
Before everyone jumps to their feet
Not necessarily cheering,
Maybe silently saluting,
My effort, at the least
My inspiration, at the best
I want to change minds,
And hearts,
And the way people treat each other
I want to teach someone everything I know,
And hear everything a child has to say
And have a speechless conversation with a person
Who would have to be much more resilient than I.
I want to play music,
To dance,
To sing,
To write,
And have people listen, watch, read.
I want to balance the world on my fingertips,
But there's only so much you can do
In a lifetime.
There are too many books in this world to read all of them,
But I'll give it my best effort.
And I'll never be able to fix the problems,
Even with the bundle knowledge I manage to gather
Not the squeak of the garage door,
Not the scratch of fingernails on a chalkboard,
Not the economy,
Not the bullying and the wars
But when there isn't time for the books,
I'll learn from people,
And we'll stack like the Legos
That I NEVER put away when I was finished
One on top of the other, adding strengths
And canceling weaknesses
And some day,
Some day when I have stretched my brain,
And my heart,
When I have soaked up all of my confidence
And built a castle out of my Legos,
Then, and only then,
I will be known the world over.