If God were looking at my life
He’d guess why I’m living here in an old dumpy shelter that can change before your eyes.

He’d understand that I’m okay.

He’d know the way things had gone for me –

They’ve gone uphill and downhill like a Metro bus in Seattle. Up and down.

He’d remember how things went when I was very little, like when I’d get a vanilla-chocolate swirl ice cream. My dad and I would be sitting together on the back of his truck and the sun would be setting.

He’d know that I was very energetic. When I was two, I’d sing a good morning song to everything I could see, “Good morning mom. Good morning dad. Good morning stuffed animals.”

He’d know I’m trying to change certain things, like my future and a little bit of my past.

He’d know how hard it is to change because sometimes you can’t accept things like change.

He’d want me to understand that life is a bumpy ride. Life is as bumpy as driving up a mountain in a red Jeep. You know that red is a lucky color and you need luck to get up that mountain.

If God opened a new door for me, it would lead me to a new home.

Then I could start over with my life.

This poem is published in The World in Me, a compilation of original poetry written by young people ages 8 – 17 who stayed with their families in housing at Solid Ground’s Broadview Emergency Shelter & Transitional Housing for women and children. The young authors who contributed to The World in Me are not identified by their real names, and some details have been changed to protect the privacy and confidentiality of them and their families. The authors retain copyrights on their individual works.