You held me as the sad song played and I cried,
You were the first person I ever looked at as if you were living art,
We laid out underneath the stars and I promised I would stay in your life,
I have watched you grow up, along with the rest of my sisters and brothers,
each one of you growing into beautiful, confident, strong women & men,
anxious, confused about self-image, learning that you can say "no,"
realizing you can be queens and kings of your own amazing world.
Watching you take the first steps into adulthood,
watching your eyes water as the first shot of whiskey burns down the throat
against the taste of your first cigarette on your lips,
that first kiss with that friend, that lover, maybe even a passer-by on a dare,
watching you grip the wheel for the first time after a harrowing accident,
smiling as you hold your lover closer as you dance on your wedding night,
holding you close after taking the knife away from your wrists,
holding you close after pulling you away from the empty abyss,
holding your hair as you lose your lunch from mixing tangerine rum, tacos, and tequila.
After school, there's no real graduation ceremony in life -
you grow older and maybe you'll grow up,
you might have kids, a house, two dogs, and a nosey neighbour,
you might have a lover, an apartment, a cat, and a metro pass,
maybe you'll become a composer, maybe you'll be the next astronaut,
maybe right now life seems dark and lonely, but give it a few hours,
give it a few days, give it some more time than you think you have,
and life will be worth living,
life will truly blossom into everything you've ever dreamed of wanting.
