a picture-perfect protest

I am at a protest,
Smiling, happy and free,
Filled with the joys of freedom of speech,
And simultaneously aware that a conclusion
Will probably never be reached,
But allowing myself the pleasant delusion
That I can make a small change
In this deranged world.

I was an idealistic child,
Kind, big dreams
And nurtured always,
Picked up when I was falling,
Cuddled when I was ill,
For these reasons, I still
Possess ideals, and I am smiling
Here, happy and free.