You are the artist that painted my happiness on the canvas of your own compassion
Your brush fashioned my reason for being vibrant when my mind wanted to be whited out
When I shouted out as my paper-shredder mindscape tore my own drawings to pieces
You were my escape, from that place where my deep fears had real shapes
I’m grateful for all that you’ve done. If there’s some way I can show,
Make you know how you turn my crooked stick figures into masterpieces
When the water colored the edges of my eyes you replaced my faded tones with vivid acrylic
I was a cynic with an acidic mind
A ballistic missile with a fistful of broken dreams
But then, brushstroke by brushstroke, you painted over my lost hope
Helped me cope when all I wanted was to just say nope
And leap off the edge of my own psychoses
You drew roses over my crown of thorns that I wore to make sure I was my own martyr
But you, with your mind, your heart, and a pencil, made me my own starter
Cedar Ridge High School
12