I am a foster youth, I am the voice of countless others

Though my lips speak, this is the voice of my sisters and brothers

The voice of those that are still silent in despair

Lift your head sister for wherever your tears fall I am there

I am a foster youth, with no place to call my home

Fate has selected me to wander, forever alone

I pretend I’ve found a home but I can’t help but to know it

That wherever I am, it’s only for a moment

I am a foster youth, I know what it is to lack

Though the less I have the easier it is to pack

I know what it’s like to live on just enough to get by

I see other kids with plenty and I can’t help but to ask why?

I am a foster youth, I have known no earthly love

My only comfort is from my Father up above

Love is a foreign concept something I’m still trying to learn

Acceptance and understanding, for these my heart yearns

I am a foster youth, I like to think and pretend

My mind is the only real safe place I know, my only friend

Still it sometimes traps me in a cage of memories and pain

It whispers that I’ve lost everything and have nothing more to gain

I am a foster youth, my hopes have been shattered

I’ve been constantly let down and treated like I don’t matter

I’ve been mistreated, I learned quickly that people can be cruel

I’ve been abused and thrown around like a common tool

I am a foster youth, I’ve cried enough tears to fill the oceans!

I swim through mighty waves of fear and constantly drown in my emotions

The things I’ve known and seen have indeed left their mark

Scars on my back and cracks in my heart

But am I to be pitied? No that would be wrong

While I’ve struggled I’ve learned that in my weakness I am strong!

There may be no home or family that I can claim is my own

But I have learned the secret to finding joy and strength in being alone

I don’t depend on others to bring me joy, it comes from within

The moment I learned this is when I let my life begin

Though I have lived with barely enough, I must confess

I am happy with a little or a lot, my joy isn’t in what I posses

Belongings and possessions would only weigh me down

My soul is free to fly and refuses to be tied to the ground

I’ve grown up without love thinking it’s something I’d never been taught

Though many take it for granted, I’ve learned it’s something to be sought

Many people think they know what love is, and with that they are static

Thinking you completely know and understand love is a sure way to lose its magic

My mind has been my solstice and sometimes the reason for my pain

But I’ve learned its patterns and I can feel sunshine even in the rain

I know my mind and thoughts like the back of my hand

I can channel my joy and sadness to help others understand

There have been people that wronged me at every turn

Through hurt and hate, forgiveness is something I had to learn

Without the wrongs committed, there would be no hate to release

If I had never been hurt, I would never have found true peace

Though I’ve shed many tears, my eyes have finally dried

The vicious rapids of my mind that I used to try to keep inside

I would have destroyed myself if I hadn’t learned to let go

The river would have frozen my heart into streams of ice and snow

I am a foster youth and my fate is such

To forever take little and make it into much!