This Is Recognition Of All We’re Afraid To Say

This is recognition.
To the beautiful humans
Who carry the weight of expectation on their backs
Who wade through the seas of loneliness and grief
Who feel so intensely
That in some moments
The world feels like it may simply collapse.

This is recognition.
To the courageous souls
Who have known heartbreak
Who have endured a troublesome past
Who walk through life in search of meaning
— A difficult path
But one that builds resilience with every step.

This is recognition.
To the fearless warriors
Who lie awake at night battling the darkness
Who continue to fight
with love and kindness
So that other may see the light
and be set free.

This is recognition.
To our stories
To the narratives of our time here on earth
To the chapters of our books
that are written in our hearts and minds
and that we too often hold inside ourselves.

This is recognition.
Because too many times
we are told not to speak
But I tell you this
Walls of fear are built through silence.

So let this be recognition.
To the beautiful humans
the courageous souls
the fearless warriors
and the stories we hold inside.

Because those people
those stories
they have the power to break walls
to mend the broken
to guide the hurt
to provide hope
and to redeem the world.