This Poem is for You

You are not something to fix
You are not broken, faulty or bad
Your failures are not a metric of your worthiness
Your human mistakes do not excuse you from
receiving love, praise or belonging
You do not have to earn a spot at the table
Nor prove yourself deserving of 
nourishment and care

Though you might feel yourself as 
separate, isolated, misunderstood

Though you might wear a heavy coat 
Stitched with beliefs and perceptions
that dispute your right to be here

Another more generous story exists:

You are complete, whole, and inherently valuable
You are birdsong, snowdrops, and bright eyes 

You are needed and your needs matter

Now come, let’s help each other remember 
Come now, let’s walk each other home