I See You, I Am You, and I Love You

If you spent much of your life yearning to feel seen, heard, and important,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you struggled to get along with your peers and were often left out of group projects,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you struggled on alone in school due to teachers who didn't know how to help you,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you stumbled through reading passages while reading aloud in school,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you spent too much of your time trying to prove your worth either through your grades or actions,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you ever felt the need to tip-toe around people who disliked you because they made you feel inclined to apologize for your existence,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you ever struggled on alone and in silence with a trigger word,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you felt more comfortable reading during recess,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you ever felt all alone in a dark and scary world,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you've ever realized that you could give love freely yet couldn't send any to yourself,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you ever doubted your reason for being here or ever believed you were here for no reason,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.
If you ever consciously stopped yourself from doing someone a favor because someone in your past showed you contempt for even offering,
I see you, I am you, and I love you.

I just want to assure you all on two fronts. Firstly, the trauma implied occurred pre-adoption so there is no memory of the event which allowed me to live in relatively comfortable denial by telling myself it was just a fear of a possible future event...until my biological mother told me about the event 10 years ago.
Secondly, don't assume the things in this poem have caused me to not feel blessed. The fact that I have experienced all of these things and am still capable of walking through the world as if nothing can touch me...there must be some form of magic coursing through my veins giving me courage.

Copyright 4/10/2020