A POET’S CHILDHOOD

THERE are brilliant pebbles on fire
within the expansive skies

And there are stones as bright
upon the ground

How both I have walked:

my eyes toward the skies
my eyes toward my feet

How to celebrate the love
of my own personality
i often sing to myself

That I comfort the essence
of my Soul
for every bit belongs to me

as it does with you.

How my house as child was not
a haven of security
but the fragrance of my mother
was there before night

Teenage years: The key in my pocket,
heavy with responsibility
to unlock the door to an uncertain reality

Through the haze of cigarette smoke
I’d navigate, trying not to choke
On the bitterness that hung in the air
A reminder of a life lived in despair

Yet in those moments of solitude
I found solace in my own fortitude
A resilience born from adversity
A strength forged in the flames of uncertainty

For though my childhood was marred
By the demons that haunted and scarred
I learned to find beauty in the cracks
To see the light shining through the tracks

So as I walk these paths of mine
With stars above and stones that shine
I carry with me the lessons learned
From a childhood where I yearned

For love, for safety, for peace of mind
Yet in the absence, I learned to find
The strength within to stand tall
And embrace the journey, flaws and all.

:: 02.22.2024 ::