You can have a simmering sadness just beneath the heart

You can be carrying the kind of pain that tears you apart

You can be holding on to stories that would shock you with fear

You can be grieving and bereaving things you held dear

And you can be O.K.

You can be carrying shame and incriminating facts

You can be mulling over embarrassing and disdainful facts

You may have scars and blemishes that will never fade

You may have parts of your face that you wish you could trade

And you can be O.K.

Wholeness was never a demand of a good life

Most hard-earned traits don't come without strife

In fact, the sign of a developed mind

In one who can witness horrors

And not go blind

That's the secret to being O.K.

Carrying the ability to feel deeply

And then go on your way.