Broken dreams lay great paths |
My life hasn't always been easy I grew up accepting a different kind of reality, And it wasn't until I was older That I learned to question it Kids don't understand what's going on When their relatives always show up with pills or funny powders Or when Dad has a beer in his hand A little too often All they know is that Mom and Dad love to sleep Even when Dad moved out of the state And Mom was always out with her friends, I didn't mind I just got to spend more time with Grandpa Naivete only lasts so long Sometime before my grandfather passed And my father took his own life, I realized This wasn't normal It also wasn't unique As a great poet once said, "I'm not the only kid who grew up this way" Every day, Kids are taught the definition of adversity Through first-hand experience They're learning that the deck Isn't always stacked in their favor And that while their intentions may reach to the heavens, Their realities aren't far off from hell They're learning that "danger" Isn't exclusively from the unknown, And some of the most dangerous things Have the most familiar faces They know how to internalize And cry themselves to sleep Because as long as they get the tears out while no one's watching They can show a smile to the world They deal with all the jokes About their size and their baggy clothes Because as long as the attention is on their weight, No one sees the bruises I'd love to look each of them in the eye And tell them it gets better, But the truth is There are no guarantees But I can tell them they're not alone I know what it's like to wonder What your mother's doing with a needle in the next room Or why a noose Was the only thing that could squeeze your father tighter Than the bottle did while he was alive I've played that balancing act Between comfort and conformity; I've tasted the ostracism at both ends, And I'm still here! Not everyone will see The beauty in your imperfections And not everyone will be happy If yours aren't the same as theirs But some will Maybe you don't come from a wealthy family Or even have one Maybe no one's called you beautiful But everyone has to start somewhere And maybe you'll never have a fancy house Or a shiny car Maybe you'll never be considered a perfect person But even diamonds are only valued for their flaws I can't tell you things will get better But I can say That it's all part of the process And whether you realize it yet or not, We all go through it Whether it's the pressure of impressing a parent Or the pressure to conform, We're all compressed by life's inequities Until we've gone from soft lump To hardened rock To polished gem And there's no timeline for it There are no milestones to tell you How many insults lie between you and your destination No road map to reveal whether your next stop will be tragedy or travesty The only way to know Is to keep going If, along the way, You encounter an obstacle-- And I promise you will-- Don't panic It's only there to make you stronger It's there to make you grateful for when it's not And if you think something is impassable Or that the pain will never leave, Remember that broken bones only heal stronger And broken hearts only become more faceted So keep your head high And stay on the unbeaten path It's only called that because it can be conquered |