Poetry is like breathing

You were fire When there was nothing but darkness You warmed my heart You made me whole again I felt almost human In a world that had betrayed me A world that had taken a young heart And turned it to dust And then I saw this burning light A light that was so close And yet so far away Calling me toward it It was you You saved me -Katie Civitelli, 2019

I see the light shine through your eyes The hope you spread around I see you do not listen to pain And you have not known doubt Oh young one, you are so important The world shies away from you It hits you with its fist of trauma And lies just to hurt you It makes you think it is powerful And that you do not stand a chance It tells you that your dreams are wrong And you will not make it It lays a path and says to go Even though you know it is wrong But the world grabs you by your collar And shoves you along But young one, oh so brave You never let it win You deviate from that paved path And look deep within And then you stand up strong And make the world cower low You say, "You have no power here" And if you must, you go it alone We all possess this inside So be strong in what you believe The world will not put out your light So let them all see -Katie Civitelli, 2019