This poem explores authenticity, honesty, and the complexity of what it is to be human. Written by a local 13-year-old who is fiercely genuine and consistently inspiring, this poem has the power to remind most of us that who we are is worth celebrating. Posted here with permission from the author who is to remain anonymous on this platform. Enjoy!

The Only People For Me

The only people for me are the real ones,
the ones that are real to speak truth.
Real enough to remove the mask.
Real to be a staircase of ecstatic twists and turns.
Care about others, but stay true to themselves at the same time,
the ones who
never foreswear or cover.
Don’t consume themself in a layer of lies,
but truth, truth, truth,
like the sun when his rays of gold arrive
in the morning no matter what the people think.
Like how flowers blossom no matter the pattern, the shape, or size.
You see the real side of them and the truth the lies upon their
beautiful selves,
and
everyone goes,
“That can be me.”