To open the mind
I light a candle
To bring about change
I open my heart
To resolve my doubts
I examine my own
Judgmental contradictions
Then and only then
Does peace and tranquility
Have a place to dwell...

Thank you for listening
To my silence amongst the noise
My unsaid words reached your ears
My quiet voice was heard
Words said through my actions
Words felt with my touch
Thank you for accepting them
And for accepting me just as much
You lifted me up
So that others may hear
The story of my past
And the ocean of my tears
I can walk into the new year
So I bid you a final goodbye
I can go on my own now
All because you made me try

One year ago this month.
I fell off a cliff.
For the first time falling,
I thought I was flying.

In February I hit the ground.
My emotions splattered all around.
I felt weak and worthless.
I’d never felt more alone.

In March, I moved on.
I got up, and I pushed myself.
Away from him, away from the past,
And away from myself.

April brought rain.
I always remember rain.
Getting washed away.
In that April rain.

May brought beauty.
And with beauty came my camera.
I still have pictures of that first day,
In the sunshine of May.

June was too much like a puzzle.
No school, floating with nothing to do,
But pick up the pieces,
And start over.

July brought me back.
I finally found myself in those corridors,
Pushing myself through fears upon fears.
I stopped hiding in July.

August brought hope.
For a new day, a new me.
With support from my friends,
I pushed and tried to win.

September brought a new age.
It shouldn’t have changed me but it did.
I’m still the youngest of all of us.
Why shouldn’t I feel like a kid?

October brought me only sadness,
Missing my friends from July.
All their birthdays were there in the autumn madness.
Why’d I have to say goodbye?

November was a month of silence.
A break from the stress of my life.
But even though it was silent,
I wouldn’t have ever gone back for more.

December has brought a new beginning.
Confidence, and strength through myself.
I’m now saying goodbye and I’m happy,
That 2017 is now gone.

I like to travel like how one falls in love;
To feel everything deeply and cherish moments,
To understand what is foreign and appreciate its beauty-  
consumed by emotions all at once, and still be brave enough to explore...
For after all, travel and love are both deep forms of art.