The Dropped Stitch

As a child
I started on a rough road
I was destined for failure
Or at least that was how it felt

Troubled homes and outrageous actions
Were right up my alley
Every time others knocked me down
I would pick myself up
Only to be thrown back down
Like pins in a bowling tournament

I didn't fit in and didn't feel like I was
One of the stitches in societies' quilt
I was the dropped stitch
I had been let go and forgotten

I craved to be that one stitch
That connected to many other stitches
To comfort them and make them feel warm
I was never given the chance

I blocked everyone out
And tried to embrace my confinement
But others would not let me be
They would tell me
My stitch was to small and too skinny
I was inadequate

I would tell myself
I was unique for a reason
I didn't want to fit in
With the rest of the swatches

I forced my smile on my face
And it was impure at first
But after a while
I forgot that I was pretending and my smile
Became genuine and pristine
Yet I was still flawed

Implementing the blows from the past as a tool
I had become strong
I had become more than just a stitch;
I had become a sweater
Warming my heart and making myself glow

With this new tantalizing persona
I attracted other stitches
And I cared for them as well

I was no longer frayed
And I was no longer just a stitch

I had become the first and main component
Of the masterpiece made up of my stitches

I accept their imperfection
I love them for it
Alone we are a bunch of dropped stitches
But together we refuse to be unraveled,
Worn out, or torn
We are the epitome of strength
And we stand together
As one

Georgia Kyle, 17 years old
Silver Creek Alternative School
Hailey, Idaho
U.S.A.