Split Sides

Berlin

Let me take this moment

To point a mirror to your face

And show you how beautiful you are.

For you are distinct, unrepeatable,

And a person with no equal.

Your charms are yours alone

And your life sets you apart from the rest.

They may imitate you, be like you;

They can even try to replicate you,

But they'll never come close

To the majesty only you hold.

You secrets are yours to keep

And for me to unlock.

Your scars are littered around you

And yet you wear them like medals unblemished.

You were always outshone by others

Who hunger for glamor and intellect

But they could never possess

The eternal pride you wear proudly.

You have stood against time

And kept firm even as you were hurting,

By your pain or by their taunting.

Your history is what pulls me to you,

And your future makes me stay.

You have unleashed your heart's torment

And built walls to halt your tears of blood,

But they could never keep

The promise you bear in your soul.

You may not be rich, you may not be smart,

And they will always be people

Who'll walk over you

Just to be the first, be the best.

But my dear, can't you see

They're just chasing empty victories?

That they must spend every waking day

To shake hands with one and hold knives in the other?

You're poor, and you don't have much,

But you give what you have to those who don't,

And by that you're already a winner.

You're honest and dignified enough

To admit your mistakes and wounds.

And you always swore that

You'll never stop looking at the sky

Even when it's grey and hurling rain at you.

That's why I'm here.

Because you are you.

And for me, you are enough.

I did this poem after that evening of your meltdown. In a strange way, your travails remind me of that great city and everything that happened. Just as that city has risen up time after time, you are too. So don't wallow in negativity, for you don't have to live with it. You are better than that.

And for everyone else, stay strong. Don't give in to your demons, no matter how tempting. You are strong. You are brave. And someday you will be loved.