i
once
imagined
that loving people
meant they'd love you

i
once
imagined
that if you told the truth
that truth would be given in return

i
once
imagined
that loyalty met loyalty
and good intentions would never be taken as fake

i
once
imagined
that forgiveness should be freely given
and your heart would swell with happiness

i
once
imagined
that best friends, family, and real love
always stayed

i
once
imagined
that words were outwardly expressions
of the things we felt within our hearts

i
once
imagined
that good deeds were only met
by other good deeds

i
once
imagined
that the endless stream of memory-making
would never end

but i learned the world can be harsh
it can rip up your dreams
scatter them to the winds
and make you believe you can't keep going

but i learned that fate
isn't always so kind
and people don't always take you
for face value

but i learned that people will believe
whatever it is they want to believe
to make themselves feel better
or to justify their bad behavior

but what i also learned
is that i still believe in love
i still believe in being honest
i still believe in loyalty
i still believe in being a good person
i still believe in dreaming
and i still believe there are people out there
that will agree