There was a time when I was infatuated by the way you got along with children,
The way you would talk to them,
The way you would be willing to play mini games of basketball,
Or run around the yard playing “tag”.

There was a time when you would wander over to my house just to talk to me,
Any chance of leisure you were there.
You became my wonderwall.

There was a time when I would sit alone outside in the dark just to watch the stars,
And you would come outside to join me and lay supine on my driveway until the clouds took over the skies.

There was a time when I felt intimidated by you,
That you could convince me to believe anything you said.
That if I became weary you would’ve taken up the chance to scare me.

There was a time when you would comfort me when I was upset,
Making me realize the sonorous sounds of silence.
The echos of pain,
The screams of all the words once spoken,
All my broken erstwhile dreams.

You made me believe in a time where all my hopes and dreams could come true,
Where eloquence was just as important as love,
And where family meant spending time together.

You made me believe in trust,
Made me realize that not everything said is a lie or meant to hurt you,
That secrets can be kept,
That there is always truth in the world if you dig deep enough to find it.

You made me realize that defenestration is not the answer to solving my problems,
That running away would prove nothing,
That giving up would only hurt myself.

You made me realize that every spontaneous action should not be acted upon,
And that illicit actions may ruin the world.
It gave me hope for where we will one day be,
That one day the world wouldn’t be full of terror and pain,
That every poet was as eccentric as the artist standing next to them.

Without you I wouldn’t be able to recognize the innocence in my brothers eyes,
I wouldn’t be able to trust the words that spilled free from everyone's mouths,
I wouldn’t have came to the realization of my own inner demons scratching to get to my surface.

Because of you,
My mind travels to brighter places,
I know what I want for myself in the future,
I know who my friends are and why they are here.

And all to think it started with you.