I wonder if he knows his words saved my life.
He sees things the way I see things—
it’s the kind of music the deaf can hear.
Salvation in words, an alter for art,
sound soul reinforcements for those of us
who almost couldn’t dig our nails in
deep enough to hang on.
Almost.

Thank you for having the courage
to write it all down
to say it all out loud
for allowing me
to relate.

You see, I, too, am still learning to love
the parts of me
that no one claps for.