You look up at me

You look up at me from the grave.

I look up to heavenly you.

You and I are not that different.

You are Italian,

I am paisano.

You were teased as a kid,

I suffered that fate.

You ran to express yourself,

I run to be free.

You had parents who loved you,

I have parents who give none the less.

You had a Pete who pushed you forward,

I have a Logan who inspires me.

"A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory."

You and I are not that different.

You set Olympic standards as a teenager,

I set the mark for my high school.

You enlisted in the military, away from your family,

I will serve a mission which will send me from mine.

You turned to God when you were in desperate need of help,

I turn to God for all.

You were driven insane by the conditions which held you,

I am demoralized by the standards of my society.

You were beaten by someone who considered you a friend,

I was betrayed by someone I considered the equal.

"Don't look at me"

You and I are not that different.

Regardless of the pain,

the misery,

the torment,

the torture,

the hell that you went through, you help yourself up.

When you had a broken ankle,

a broken nose,

and a broken mind,

your heart remained unbroken.

You looked the Bird in the eye,

and you lifted that board above your head.

You defied those who wanted you to fail.

You defied nature which pulled the heavy board down.

You defied the enemy which wanted you dead.

You did not give up.

It is for this I give you thanks.

When times get tough for me,

when I want to let my board fall,

when I want to not look my adversary in the eye,

I think of you

and push on.

If you can go through hell and come back with as much dignity and strength as you did

then so can I

because

You and I are not that different.

You are still a mentor to me.

I live through your example,

through your words.

I feel as if I know you and you know me.

For this I thank you everyday,

Louis Zamperini.

From the one and only,

Maren Tonini.