I sat at my desk, after a long, drawn-out test

Too asleep to slumber, so my eyes were left to wander

But the windows offered no thunder-

    only rain,

So upon my little desk I resolved to rest my gaze

I scan it up and down, inspecting various shades of brown

Expecting something, Anything to change.

It was in that moment, of unexpected wonder

That my eyes fell upon a lonely, scratched in

              “You.”

 

Barely the footprints of the markings remained,

With no F-bomb preceding, nor “suck” at its end,

Just a single, solitary, curious word:

            “You.”

 

I pondered at its meaning and I questioned of its author

But no answers came, just more and more wonders

Why would someone leave A message so vague and blank?

Did they forget what they were saying?

Do they mean to drive me mad?

What statement could you make by saying simply

          “You?”

 

But I guess, in all honesty, this is what we get from Life, too:

A blank open slate with a solitary

           “You,”

I guess you could complete it any way you so desire

WIth a question, exclamation, or explanation, perhaps

You complete the descriptor; it’s all up to, well,

          You.

 

What will you say of yourself?

Maybe you’ll put in a “you will,” or “you won’t,” or “You love,” or “you hate,”

Or even a “do” or “you don’t.”

Whatever you etch, let it come from the heart But a caution when scratching in the word “are.”

 

If you follow your “you” with the weaker word “are,” Let me lend a little advice:

 

Don’t write what you’re not, unless everything you are is for naught,

In that case lay down your chisel and let your wooden tablet rot.

Don’t write who you will be, for the Future’s not now

How can you know Tomorrow’s you when you barely know Now’s?

 

Don’t write who you were, you may not even remember,

You are not the same now that were

A year

A day

Or nine minutes ago. 

But if you are so brave, So bold to insert “are,” I beg you to keep the following in mind:

You are more than the skid marks careless drivers left behind.

  You are More than the cracks in sharp corners. You are

     More than the speed bumps and more than heavy burdens. You are

       More than the red lights and stop signs and yellow lines. You are

         More than what you’ve been told that You are.

I can never tell you who you are, only you can tell you that

But I can tell you what you’re not, because no human truly is

 

You are Never truly lost, You are Always on a path. You are Never too far out, You are

   Able to come back. You are Never all alone, You are

     Cherished and loved. You are

        Never out of hope of finding who You are.

Whenever you face your Goliath, you’ll have more than just a stone,

(for even David didn’t win with just the puny rocks alone)

But that’s a tale for another time..

 

Don’t worry about the passerby's

Who’ll read your response and wonder why

Anyone would end with that.

 

Don’t worry for the future you

Who’ll look back at your etchings and wonder who

Would ever let the world know.

 

Don’t worry about the wanderers

Who’ll look at your inscription for some sort of blunder In your writing, spelling, or grammar.

 

Don’t worry about the janitors, For they won’t mind a little scratch on the already-abused table.

 

Fill it in, That little “You,”

Let your graffiti marks ring true

Do not scratch it on in vain

Or throw your wishes to the rain

The slate is clear

Go ahead

Make your statement What will you say?

You'll only write it once

Say it loud!

Because no one else will

When you feel to afraid to write, I can promise you now

There’s always room on the slate for a lonely “you.”

Don’t be ashamed to etch in the truth, For I know that there’s beauty

Behind that little

      “You.”