Skipping down the ramp of  Carnival Pride,

Down to a land new to me,

A place called the Bahamas.

A land of wonder,

A land of mystery.

 

Walking by the ocean,

Striding down the dock,

Skipping along the dirt path.

 

I smiled and waved,

In my newly bought clothes,

Shoes,

And a cute little hat,

Protecting my face from the sun.

 

As I skipped along the path

I saw

Many little shops

Filled with little treasures.

Held by people,

Yearning to sell.

 

They had little money,

They had little things,

But still held on,

And they were strong.

 

I was greatly embarrassed

By how I used my parents hard earned money

So carelessly.

Not even stopping to think

How many people of the world

Were struggling to afford

Food and water.

 

I had never experienced such a thing,

I never imagined what it would be like

To be in their shoes.

What I saw

Truly broke my heart.

 

It changed the way I thought,

It changed the way I saw things.

I  realized

that not all people are born with same fortunate opportunity

to win life’s beautiful, golden prize.

 

I was nine at the time,

Curious and adventurous indeed.

I wanted

To explore.

To know more,

To see more.

 

I came back home with a different vision,

Eager, and striving to learn

about the world around me.

 

Questions were floating around my head,

Twirling ‘round and ‘round,

Flooding me deeply,

Making me stop and think.

 

What is happening at the other end of the world?

What about across the Oceans?

I wonder...

 

I wanted to fly,

Like a bird,

So I could hear,

Smell,

And see

if everywhere was filled

with wonder and beauty.

 

I wanted to see if happiness and fortune,

Joy and prosperity,

Was shared evenly between all people.

I wanted to feel the pain of the poor and miserable,

To see what they were going through,

And to tell them that it was going to be OK.

 

I was nine at the time,

But I wanted to help

In any way I could.

 

I searched and I heard

From the news on TV,

From Family,

And friends.

Devastating stories.

What I heard

Was beyond what anyone could even imagine.

I heard about wars,

About hunger and tears.

I heard about the families that were suffering from sickness and dying.

I heard about different types of attacks.

About innocent cities that were being invaded and destroyed,

And being ruled by unfair rulers.

I heard about injustice, and about the horrifying things terrible rulers did to the people that disobeyed them.

I was terrified.

 

How safe is our world really?

Why so much hatred?

And why can’t it be ceased?

 

Who is guaranteeing the safety of the children in the world?

Who is promising our well-being?

What is re-assuring that we will live a long and happy life?

What has happened to the word “peace?”

What is the meaning of “love” anymore?

 

Whether we went out,

Or stayed at home,

These were the questions

That remained

roaming around

In my mind.

 

I thought about this matter,

Long and hard,

To see how I can possibly help the world’s future.

I found out by asking a single,

But life changing question,

From many people that I knew, loved, and cared about.

This was my question:

“What can we all do to stop the hatred in our world, and plant the seeds of love and peace?”

 

My friends, family, and I

Had many helpful ideas.

But the most important one of all was:

 

By more education,

And raising awareness.

By working together,

We will grow strong,

And overcome every single trouble

That our world has.