Smooth Enough to Keep

By #KatySaidThat

Somewhere out there is a kid who wishes they were dead,

While I lie in my bed.

Somewhere out there is a kid filled with dread,

A kid scared of what is next.

I lie in my bed counting breaths.

Sometimes I try to forget the childhood I left,

As I lie next to my husband and son,

Feeling like this battle was already won.

I question how I was one of the lucky ones;

This is far from how life had begun.

I get to pet my dogs in a house that feels like home,

And I know out there is a kid who feels lost and alone.

They feel like they are on their own.

They don’t know how to accept the love they have NOT been shown.

They know they don’t belong, and all they have is a song in their heart.

They hope for a fresh start.

They feel the tension knowing they are soon to part ways,

And they have to be brave,

And they pray that maybe, just for today, they will be good enough—

That their rough edges will be smooth enough to keep.

It’s a leap of faith.

They take a chance,

Dance to the rhythm of Another adult’s drum,

But they hum the Wrong tune.

They begin to pack up the last of their room.

They know what comes soon.

They never had a safe place,

Never felt secure in any space.

They only know how to fake an understanding of the give and take.

They don’t know how to wake up from the nightmare they lived.

They give all they have,

Never knowing what lies ahead.

Here’s looking up, kid.

You give more than you have,

But you will survive.

There is a life ahead.

There is a family of your own where you belong and don’t feel alone.

There is a home of your own.

Tie a knot and hold on tight to this life.

Don’t give up the fight.

There is more to life than the sting you feel today.

There is a future where you feel safe.

You will suture the wound and heal.

You won’t feel this way forever.

Today is just another endeavor.

You don’t know this now, but you are a treasure.

#KatySaidThatPoetry