Dear child on the city sidewalk,

You aren't defined by the rags this world has given you.

The cold bias with which the street regards you

Is not what you deserve. You are more.

Dear teen on the bathroom tiles,

You mustn't spill crimson tears for cruelty's sake;

Liquid gold runs in your veins. 

Bullies have never seen you like this, have never seen your worth

Puddling on the floor. You are more.

Dear legal adult struggling to pay rent,

Overdue bills litter your skin like a tattered blanket.

You shiver in an apartment without light, but the shudder doesn't leave

When you wander to work, even though the minimum-wage-post

Hasn't had the heat shut off. You wonder if you can stay the night.

Don't despair, love. You are more.

Dear sir strangling in a suit,

No one forgets that there is still a person behind the tie

Until you do.

Take time to appreciate the life-worth while you tally totals.

You are allowed to still be a shaking child at the bus stop,

And to be perfect at all times would be boring.

Oh no, you are more.

 

I whisper all these things

To an empty locket every night.

None must be permitted to forget their grins in

The midst of life. It's time to realize,

Dear you,

You are more.