To this day.
We have ingrained in our minds
that sticks and stones
are merely objects that will
break our bones.

And yes, while sticks and stones
may hurt for awhile
the pain that they caused
the mark that they left
will eventually subside into a 
nothingness.

Like a clean sheet of paper
untainted by rips or mistakes
our skin heals itself
our body repairs 
and after all of this.

What's left?

Now from the outside
to others who can't see
the things that tear
our hearts apart daily
that can't see the pain
hidden.

Behind a facade of smiles
and hugs, kisses,
of "love".



Lies every stick and stone
every hurtful word
that has built a brick wall
around our minds
and hearts.

This wall of words and pain
has stuck itself together 
in an unrecognizable clump.

A spider web so tangled
not even a spider can emerge
and realize the beauty that it has built
the work and effort that got it
to this point.

All of these moments
without adoration
without the expression of appreciation
have lead to a person
walking a tight rope.

Alone.

No help and no net
the constant fear that one might fall
and this heavy wall
constantly weighing them down
making each step seemingly impossible.

But with every kind word
every supporting hand
a piece, a brick, a chunk
is slowly chiseled away
from this wall built from lies
and misperceptions of
who a person really is.

Sure they may be different
but deep down inside 
they share the same innate desire
that you do:

To be loved.

To find someone who sees
through this horrible mess
of sticks and stones all glued together
by hurtful words
and see their beauty
their kindness
their heart.

A person that uses their name.

No not the name that
helped to build this heavy wall
around their heart and mind
but the name that they write
on every paper in hope
that someone will realize
that's the only thing
they want to be called.

To this day.
They have lived in a world
that looked at them and didn't see
their beauty
all they saw was the bundle of
bricks poorly stuck together
yet in a pattern so intricate
it was impossible to get out.

Until they met you.

Until your words of kindness,
your expression of appreciation,
your complete adoration,
your love for this one person
helped to tear away every
unnecessary brick.

Until you made it possible
for their light 
their beauty
to beam through.

And all because of you
this lighthouse of beauty
this beacon of hope
shared what they had to offer
with the world and finally learned.

Learned what it was like to be loved,
and to not be alone.
To be there for someone,
and know that they
were no longer walking
this tight rope alone.

They learned what it was like
to emerge from an alias
of names that they never
wanted to be called
and be called by their
own name.

Put simply.

They learned to live
as every person should.