Another Day at New Horizons

Here is a poem I wrote this weekend that I dedicate to all the children and teens that I work with at the New Horizons Children's Crisis and Stabilization Unit in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Another Day At New Horizons
What wayward spirit will pass through this gate
into a blue purgatory,
a cinderblock cage?
Here at the dawn of your life,
the world has thrown you a curve ball,
a dragon breathes fire on your house,
the demons inside you make a circle around your heart.
For a time, you are lost in a haze,
a fog of confusion blinds you -
this is normal.
Some of you may cover your eyes and say,
"Everything is fine,"
as the winds roar around you
and bits and pieces of you get carried off.
Who among you will stand and fight?
Will you wield the weapons of your own Intelligence,
of Coping Skills, Expressive Arts, and Counseling
to meet this challenge head on?
What power will you discover deep in your belly
that will deliver the death blow to
your Anger, your Depression, or your Drugs?
That power, given to you at birth, you will carry
like a torch into a glorious future,
when you and the world will finally make up and embrace.
Your victory awaits you -
come claim it as yours.