I am the happy one, who likes to eat chocolate ice cream.
I am the hyper, crazy one who might eat candy and drink coffee.
I am the easy going one, who would never say “No” to nobody.
I am the one with the scars and their secrets.

I am the messed up one, who thinks that it’s always my fault.
I am the helpless one who can’t change my life.
I am the hurt one but much more hurt on the inside.
I am the one with the scars, and I say, “No one talk back or be mean to me.”

I am the strong one, who is determined to change my life.
I am the dreamer, who imagines a different life, imagines a time when
I get to see what happens to me.
I am the childlike one, who remembers when my sister was playing
around with me.

I am the one with the scars, but they are not me,
And one day their meaning will be happy.

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.