It's been so long
Yet not enough
We've come so far
Yet we've got so far
To go
The journey ahead
Is full of twists and turns
Forks and bends
But I trust
That through it all
These ties will hold

I still remember
The six years that changed me
Trained me
To be something
That I wasn't
Was quickly undone
In the seventh year
A new year
We shall count from one

With the weight of the mould
I felt lost and unsure
In this place of light
And warmth
And this new home
With an amazing family
New ties quickly formed
And with the mould disintegrating,
I was free...

It was YOU
Who taught me
There's no harm shining;
Being proud of what I have

It was YOU
Who taught me
Just give all you've got
That There's no need to hide or with hold

It was You
Who taught me
That history could
Last

It was You
Who taught me
To just be;
Take everything with a smile brightly

And

It was You
Who unlocked
That locked door
I kept shut so tightly in those six years
Trickling light into that dark, closed room

Thank you all
For these two years
You've helped me find
Myself
Not the old one,
Not the one that was
Buried
Squished and
Lost
But you've all helped me find
A unique
New
Me

And as I lay here
Staring at these bracelets
I can't help but feel
Wistful
That it's all going to be
Over

The smiles
The laughter
The undeniable stupidity
Tears
All those memories
All those things
We went through
Together

That we're all going
In different ways
And alas,
I shed a single tear

For what the future holds,
I cannot fathom
And there are mixed feelings
Of apprehension and fear
But at least these ties will hold
They will have to
Over long distance
And all

Because I can't ever
Bear to part
With all of you
Any of you
Ever

Despite all these
Changes