To All Our Family Treasures
By Charlotte Webb

Welcome to the kingdom.
I will stand by quietly,
Not always politely,
Not always silently,
Unconditionally.
While you make your own mistakes,
While you claim your turn,
And your stakes,
I may shiver,
I may get the shakes,
As I feel the earth quakes.
I will understand,
May not agree,
That’s my right,
How hard it may be,
Growing up in this land.
I can’t keep you alive,
No matter how hard I try,
It’s all up to you to survive.
You are out of the womb,
I did my part,
Please take your time,
There’s no race,
No chase, no haste,
Getting to the tomb,
Don’t allow the world to consume,
Your creativity, imagination,
And your loom.
Your weave is yet woven,
It is your path,
To be chosen.
I know this:
You are not stupid,
You are not dumb,
You are sensitive,
You are not numb.
Follow your mind and heart,
You are smart,
You are a real work of art.
Set a foot before the tender age of two,
You are one of millions,
Yet, one of few.
Be one of the zillions,
But remain you.
You are the only you,
Created equal, yet a part,
To thine own self be true ,
Each day a new start,
Each moment, precious and few.
So push your own cart,
Slowly, wisely and decidedly.
When your cart is full,
Leave it behind.
Then you will find,
You can start anew.
Take the good treasures,
You’ve gathered,
Along the way,
These little pleasures,
Might make your day.
The choices you’re making,
May seem mistaken,
Yet, if you have learned,
And weren’t too badly burned,
You won’t have to pass that way again.
You’re not scarred for life,
In all your struggles and strife,
Your yearning and learning,
Is yours for the taking.
Be careful, be aware full,
The choices you are making.
The steps you are taking.
No one is perfect,
Along these winding paths,
There is no straight and narrow,
No free pass, no maps.
Heed the warnings,
Signs and laps.
Take your time,
For that you have plenty,
It’s all in a day,
Not your way or mine,
Live each moment splendidly.
Take your time.
Don’t label yourself,
With the many,
Nor anyone else,
Not any.
Excuses can amount to,
A dime a dozen.
I have found this true .
I’ll be me,
You be you.
The reflection in the mirror,
That you see,
May resemble someone else,
It really only shows yourself,
No one else.
So always remember,
Never forget,
You are number one.
No one will have to live,
With your mistakes or follies,
They will come and go.
Please don’t reap your jollies,
In others’ woes,
In the misery another tows.
Why do people make fun of others?
Because they’re not like them?
Or too much like them?
Is that a sin?
What is sin, then?
Something someone else can’t comprehend?
No one knows everything,
Trial and error,
Seems a lifelong dream,
Journey, let’s say,
It’s all in a day.
Be yourself,
Let others be too.
Remember you can only change
And rearrange only you.
You will find this to be true .
Enjoy the company of others,
But most of all,
Enjoy being true to you,
And your own company,
The company of others,
May bring druthers,
And sometimes smothers,
The process,
And progress,
Of you.
You are a progression,
Of the times in which we live,
Not a procession,
Regression or recession,
Of your parents unfulfilled.
When all is said and done,
You are the one,
Who lives with your choices,
Listen to the sound,
To be found,
In your own voice.
Don’t allow the past,
To relapse,
Your future.
That will not last,
You will.
You are not an outcast,
We’ve all,
The ones, who are left,
Have been there,
Honestly, I swear!
We passed teen-dumb,
Quite a while ago,
Even though,
Not so long ago,
Don’t you know?
You’ve heard this before,
I’m sure,
What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
I know,
I swore I’d never repeat that!
Anyway, take it easy, catch your breath, live longer.
Did you know,
That not one of us,
You or I,
Entered this world,
With an instructional tag,
Attached to our toe?
So, no sorrow or woe,
When we leave this good Earth,
With all our worth,
We will then receive,
From this old world,
The tag of approval,
On that little toe curled,
We’ll receive the heave hoe,
And we will have been awarded,
That tag on our toe.
So keep your chin up,
Remember nobody’s perfect,
Not even me or you,
Make choices you can live with,
Your whole, long life through.