I sat in that apartment
Drawn apart
By cells
Dividing
At the wrong rates.

And she put up with me
Even though
She struggled
To speak my language.

My mother
Sent me to camp
And I couldn’t take it
I broke down
And the ends to meet couldn’t make it.

But slowly
With whispering waves
Falling softly over lead pier
I learned that there was a way to conquer fear.

My Brain was working at
A quarter
of what it could be with
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

And this sickness
Couldn’t bring me down.

And I grew up
On the streets
Of Oak Park
A medley of colours
And sights and sounds to fill my world
My pen
Stimulated
By the music and the taste that flowed through
With haste
My veins were captivated.

And I was motivated
By the counselors
Who I dreamed to be

When I tried it
Didn’t like it
And it is now that I finally see

That if we could look at what we see
We would know
That development
Takes
Time.

And I battled
A sickness
And I won.