RAAP Impact Stories
Small Truths
The night falls like a veil
Hiding all the truths of love and pain
And I find myself wishing
Searching again
For something good in me
For some kind of fine truth
Something pure, inflexibly true
So beautiful it hurts
There's an empty vase on the windowsill
And the rain hits the glass like tears
I throw my gaze down to the street
And I smile to see her there still
Splashing in the puddles
Finding flowers in the weeds
Chasing after fireflies
And then she looks up and grins
and waves
Its like the stars shine on her and her alone
Like the moon is kissing her cheek
And her eyes down below are bright and pure
For a child left out in the rain
She waves again and I see her lips move
And I hear her voice come to me
"There's still strength here,"
she whispers and smiles,
"Don't ever forget that it's there.
"A child of the universe,
Remember that's what he said
You have as much right to be here
as the stars over head
And as the sun and the moon
No matter how much your heart hurts
Don't forget how strong you are
Don't ever forget these small truths."
I know that she sees something
That I cannot
The beauty in the sorrow and pain
Somehow she smiles even as she cries
And the rain washes away her tears
And the streetlights keep her company
Safe, because of the strength of her soul
She whispers again, her voice clear to me
"And remember: you're never alone!"
--Heather, RAAP client

