It’s so easy to hide the best parts of yourself because you’re convinced that no one will understand

There are people in this world who will flash a big, kind smile while at the same time they hold a knife behind their back

(For Shawn T)

You lifted us up You helped us to fly You were there when we celebrated You held us when we cried

There was a time when friends for whom you cared drifted away, making you think “I am forgettable”

(For my friends at NAMI Rochester)

When we stumble and fall you stop and help us to stand You support us until we can walk all the while, making us believe we can

I love the way you walk the way you move the way your emotions speak through you

(For Helana)

You have a voice that has something special to say I hope you stand up and speak If not now, then someday

(For Andrea)

Bouncing with joy Bursting with life Even when the world is filled with nothing but strife

Someone planted a thought deep inside your mind they watered and tended it and it was so unkind

I believed that I was rotten vile, so easily forgotten An evil creature right to the inside Made to be tossed aside It’s so easy to see that no one wants to be around me Broken, disgusting, creepy that’s how I learned to see me But maybe there is something more Maybe I can leap into the sky and soar