Youth Poem
You’re Gold
by: Paxton Walsh

All you have to do is be a little
louder!
Whatcha gonna do with all
that new found power?
Bet it’s gonna make you so much
prouder!
Divine and magical like a
beautiful flower!
If you ever want to give up,
don’t be a doubter!
Remember your voice is your
super power!

Teen Poem
Growing
By: Charlie Perry

Growing up is a Journey
Embarrassment is all in your head
Realizing who you are is key
To still being you in the end
All your pain is just a lesson
To teach you to be stronger
In your heart you should never question
All the obstacles you can conquer
Don’t strive for perfection
But happiness and fulfillment
Show kindness to others
Because you never know
In their own way
Everyone is putting on a show
Keep all the memories good and bad
You’ll want to know how far you’ve come
Like all your heights etched in the doorway
Showing how much you’ve grown
Growing up is a Journey
Not a race to the end
Most try to take the fast way
Which is a route I don’t recommend
Would split in two.

Adult Poem
Echoes of Perception
By: Ashley Dodgens

I’m in a bathroom stall,
When I hear a familiar call.
A girl in front of a mirror,
The flaws she sees much clearer.

“My hair, my teeth, my skin”,
Cries louder than a violin.
The disapproval becomes contagious,
A tale written from her pages.

Now her friends self-deprecate,
Although they are only ten through eight.
But I’m three times their age
And I know what’s in that cage.

The one you open up,
When you feel you’re not enough.
When the opinions of others matter,
Their voices become your inner chatter.

What would I give to take,
Lies that attack them like a snake.
What’s the antidote for such poison,
When you let all the noise in?

It’s an older woman’s voice,
Making a single choice
To tell you what she never heard
When the same thoughts in her occurred.

It’s simple and it’s strong.
It’s more beautiful than a song,
When we voice to others what they cannot see.

And someday when they’re wiser,
they’ll become the advisor,
guiding others toward self-love and harmony.