I Am...

I am a lemon with a twist,
I am a dewdrop full of mist,
I am a child filled with bliss,
I am but a gentle kiss,
I am invisible but I show,
I am a burned-out lamp that still does glow,
I am bold, though you may not know,
I am a horn that does not blow,
I am used, but still brand-new,
I am a mystery without a clue,
I am false, but forever true,
I am me and also you....
I am a flower opening my buds,
I do not fight with fists, but with hugs,
I am a push without the shove,
Creeping, oh, so softly, I am love.
I am deaf, but I can hear,
I am afraid, but I have no fear,
I am forever constant throughout the year,
I am smart but my actions make it clear,
I am with the doll who was thrown in the corner,
I am the funeral standing next to the mourner,
I am with the sad, small boy who people call a slow learner,
I stand beside the person who is rejected because he is a foreigner,
I hear the cry of a small boy saying his prayers,
I see the hearts of a million set up in flares,
I taste the bitter words and the nasty stars,
I can touch the small girl and feel her many tears,
I am with the stressed-out man living in strife,
I am in touch with the husband who lost his beloved wife,
I am stopping the man who is holding a knife,
Creeping, oh, so softly, I am life.

--Khendi White

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Myself

I have to live with myself, and so
I want to be fit for myself to know,
I want to be able as days go by,
Always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don't want to stand, with the setting sun,
And hate myself for things I have done.

I don't want to keep on a closet shelf
A lot of secrets about myself,
And fool myself, as I come and go
Into thinking that nobody else will know
The kind of a person I really am;
I don't want to dress myself up in sham.

I want to go out with my head erect,
I want to deserve all people's respect;
But here in the struggle for fame and wealth
I want to be able to like myself.
I don't want to look at myself and know
That' I'm bluster and bluff and empty show.

I can never hid myself from me;
I see what others may never see;
I know what others may never know,
I never can fool myself, and so,
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and guilt-free.

--Peer Counsellor Workbook

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Teenager

How to be?
How to stand?
What to wear?
Should I lend a hand?
When to laugh?
When to cry?
How to hide all that's inside?
To wear my hair low or high?
How to make the time rush by?
What to do?
When to speak?
How to stop my flushing cheeks?
How to say?
How to be?
Once and for all,
Who is me?

--Jamie Newland

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I Am

I am all I see
Cobwebs shimmering in the trees,
Spiders crawling through the leaves,
Rivers, lakes, oceans and seas.
I am all I hear.
"Wash you face and clean your teeth,"
"She's your dog, you look after her,"
Rattlesnakes slithering through the sand,
Trombones and trumpets in a brass band.
I am all I feel.
Cool refreshing rain falling on my face,
The smooth soft feeling of cotton and lace,
The thump of my heart at its unsteady pace.
I am all I taste.
Soft warm bread that has just been baked,
The sweet sloppy mixture of chocolate cake.
I am all I remember.
My tenth birthday when I burnt my finger,
Memories of always wanting to be a singer.
I am all I've been taught.
Vowels A, E, I, O and U,
Grammar, spelling and safety rules.
I am all I think.
Fears I do no tell anyone of,
Like I'm an ugly duckling,
Who will one day be a swan.
I am the woman of the future.
I am all these things...
I accept all that life brings.

--Kathryn Mockett

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