Since I was born,

I hit the ground running

I could not fall

And if I did,

I could not ask for help

I was born to a mom and a father, unlike many others

A father truck driver

Never there, but there to yell

He was there to tell me I couldn’t

He was there to tell me I had done it wrong

He was there to tell me “find out how to do it yourself”

Instead of teaching me

I learned to bike at twelve, I hoped he would teach me

My cousin did instead

If I tried without his help, I failed

If I failed, he told me I was shit

He told me I wouldn't learn

He told me...I would always fail

If I were mad I would cry

If I cried he would scold me

If I laughed he wouldn’t hear it

If I talked back...he would smack

If he were talking, I could not

If I tried to talk, he would yell back

I could never talk when he was around

For a time, I felt he could hear whenever I talked

I felt I could not talk

I could not cry

I could not yell, laugh or talk

I had no voice, my demons fed by my insides

Then Poetry came to me

Poetry allowed me to let the demons out, I could talk! 

If I were angry I could say so

If I were sad, I could cry

I was not afraid of expression

I could say what the fuck I want

Whether he was there or not, my fears were gone

My voice present and loud I could talk!

I could cry, I could laugh

Nobody stopped me, not even dad

Before poetry, my solution was suicide

I would plan, but never had the balls

I was still afraid, that I would fail and not die

If that were to happen, my death would be from inside

Poetry, gave me a voice

Poetry gave me a reason to laugh

Poetry gave me a reason to cry

Poetry...Saved my life