This is a signal fire

for all the broken and empty hearted;

teenagers laid to sleep in coffee beans and paper cuts

you are not who you your parents wanted you to be

not who your teachers want to teach

not who you want to be (yet)

and that’s okay.

This is your role call

for the lonely and confused, for

the C averages and the failed tests,

consider that if it doesn’t make sense now,

it might later.

This is the siren’s song

for all those who despair,

for those who sit at the bottom of a well

with bloody fingers from trying to climb up.

Let every alarm clock and chiming bell remind you

that you are alive,

every movement of a clock hand, every chirping bird,

every word spoken and every word that isn’t.

Take the world on in baby steps

so if you trip it won’t hurt,

remember to wear your red rain boots-

even if it rains you are still a superhero.

You are loved

and you are free

and you will find everything you are looking for,

if you just remember to breathe.

there seems to be this misconception
that you are only worth your intellect
and if you don’t understand
the printed variables on your papers
that there’s something wrong with you
and you are worthless
I want you to know this isn’t true
you are worth more than your GPA
and the hours you spent working on
that fucking essay
You are so much more than your teacher’s grades
and the questions you got right (you guessed)
and the awful things some students say
that you remember at 3am
don’t ever let the beating of your heart
be drowned out by study notes and essays
there is so much more to life than that missed “A”
don’t let the footsteps in the halls become a hurricane
and don’t let your bright gaze fall sideways
you are capable of anything you want to be
and more importantly
you are worth it to me.