Sam S.

Power of Words

Words can hurt.
Being labeled “special needs”
feels like I am less of a person.
Dehumanized.
I am more than a label.

Words can heal
and bring comfort in times of loss.
Hearing that my friends
who died in a plane crash
are now celebrating in heaven
for all eternity
uplifts my soul.

Land of the Dragon

I walk across the stony paths
overlooking the vast Chinese hills and forests.
Serene and phenomenal.
Visiting a temple offered me a gift,
a great sense of honor
unlike anything I have experienced.
The colossal Buddha statue,
a kingly giant looming above me.
Small Panda cubs
nuzzle against me.
In Wild Elephant Valley, I can
feel the power and might
of the large animals as they march by.
Swimming through the crystal blue waters
of Butterfly Valley,
brings a sense of peace.