you were the first to notice
though not the first to teach
all of the skills i'd need in life
and the scabs i could not reach

sitting in that fifth grade class
surrounded by my peers
you were the only one to see
a child picking above their ears

clawing at their hairline
with fingernails bitten off
you saw the child sniffle
pick, and scratch, and cough

you didn't have to say a thing
you could have turned away
but you kept an eye on me
each and every day

and when the comments grew
from jokes to nasty weeds
laughter echoing in the halls
you knew what i would need

you gave me books and paper
pencils and things to make
you saw a spark within me
something genuine, unfake

beyond the bloody scalp
picked to horrors by my hands
you saw a person with dreams
aspirations, life goals and plans

while i was too young to realize
and even now i am not quite
the day you told my mother
was the day you saved my life.