Just like a flower, we bloom into ourselves,
Taking our precious time as we open up to the world.
Each one of us different and unique,
As diverse as nature herself.

We emerge in big cities and small towns,
Wherever our roots have taken hold.
Sometimes we are welcomed and sometimes not,
But regardless we strive to thrive.

Some of us are allowed to live and grow,
Though some are harshly plucked like a common weed.
Yet for those who we’ve lost another grows in their place,
As delicate and stubborn as any other.

So whether you’re a daylight daisy or a darkling orchid,
Or even an atypical Irish rose like me,
Never be afraid to blossom,
Show off the fierce beauty you have to chase away the ugliness around you.

ELAINE
CLF Member, incarcerated in AK