Songs of the Soul

Braver

For Coggins and Bridger

You told me your open secret
Like ripping the bandaid off
You cried as you hid your face
With one shaking hand
I held you tightly as
You told me how you tried to kill yourself four times because of yourself
You told me the rejection you get every day from your family
All the names and the cold shoulders
You told me how you deny yourself
You said how you thought you were the only one like you in the world

I hope you know
That you're brave and beautiful and strong.
That you are more than your pain
Though your struggle is yours
You shoulder it steadily
Though you do not hope
I hope for you
That in time your family recognizes that you are the same person they raised
From babe to graduate
I hope
That you find people who see how special you are
That your road only get easier as you age
I hope for you
To find the person who makes you feel
Like the world was something they built in their tool shed for you
Like all the past horrors and awfuls don't need to define you
Because we know
They don't.