Young one

who has seen so much pain,

the tears of your elders

stuck fast like cement

keeping you frozen in fear.

Let the world wrap its arms around you,

keep you safe

and loved

and wash away your anguish.

I am not grateful because I have to be

Or should be

Or was told to be.

I am grateful because I am alive!

I hear the birds song

The rush of traffic

My child eating his breakfast.

At its core, life is simple.

We exist until our final breath.

The span between beginning and end

Is reason enough to be grateful.

My idols are false

They lure me to complacency

I can never be worthy of their praise

I will never be good enough

They are on their own path

Their own faults and crazy misconceptions

Limited by their minds, just like me.

I must open my heart and dive to the depths of my dreams

Uncovering the treasures lost and those new to me

Embrace life and hold it dear to me

And throw my head back and laugh at its obscurity.