When your throat has become raw to point of tasting blood  and when your eyes are painfully dry,

I will cry, scream and shout for you.

I will shout at those men in blue and tell them “release my child”.

I will shout “his skin has nothing to do with this”.

I will cry, scream, and shout as you lay on the ground with your will to fight flowing across the pavement.

I will do all these things for you though I do not know your name nor do I need to.

 

You are “Autism”, “Down Syndrome”,“Dyslexia”, and “ADHD”

You are all of these things, but you’re not.

You are bright, beautiful, and intelligent human beings and you will change this world more than I ever will.

You will inspire and move others with just your presence.

These labels muffle your young voices, so for just a moment, here I will stand and hold your hand.

I will speak your words of pain and sorrow because you have not yet learned them.

I will speak these words for you until they have been taught.

I will speak these words because your young minds do not yet fully understand why your right is being taken.

I will do all of these things for you though I do not know your name nor do I need to.

 

As you dance away your fears and anxieties to the upbeat music,

Holding your partner, your friend, your lover, your companion.

The fluid rhythm washing away the harsh and crass present.

I will catch the metal bead of hate and misguided information so that you may change the world.

 

As I lay down to rest and to close my eyes one last time I will thank you.

I will thank you for your inspiration and for your ability to love so openly.

I will do all of these things for you though I do not know your name nor do I need to.

 

You call upon a bird of steel to take you to our Lady.

She shines a deceiving path to freedom.

I will take your first step on this path and take your place in the falling iron cage.

I will take the credit for the falsely accused crimes.

I will take your chains and place them on my wrists.

I will take your place in cemented hell so that you may live the American dream.

I will do all of these things for you though I do not know your name nor do I need to.

 

When your voice cannot be heard or when your voice cannot be found,

I will teach you to find it.

I will teach you how to get back what you thought was lost forever.

I will do this for you so that you will no longer need me.

I will only stay for as long as I am needed.

 

Once your voice has been found within the empty roars of man,

I will leave.

I will leave you to grow on your own and to forget about our one chance encounter.

I will leave you to your destiny.

I will leave you to change the world.

As you begin this new era in history I will watch from the crowd as you shape young and impressionable minds.

I will watch as you sprinkle hope in the young children's eyes like you did mine so many years ago.

 

I may not know your name, but I do know you.

You are a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a friend ,

You are a person.

You are a person worth loving, cherishing, protecting, and knowing.

I think back to you everyday and I will think back to you everyday after today.

As I lay alone dying I will think back to you.