You believe all the fears have been conquered
All the issues dealt with
What of the ripe fruits of betrayal hanging on the vine?
What of the sowed seeds of rejection awaiting the harvest in line?
Only in cold winter does the pain stop
Numbed by bitterness and frozen with rage
Our discontent seeks silence among the glaciers of frozen feelings
Whispering & waiting for the thaw of spring

We must all be responsible, I think. Whenever you are witness to child abuse you MUST do something. Often times a concentrated effort by multiple parties is the best way to do so. Still, even I who know what it's like can say I would have told you NO back then. I was glad to join Peer Helpers to get a crack at helping some other kid growing up like I did. Over the next 2 years I had 2 young girls I worked with, simple things like helping them with homework or pushing them on the swings made them feel special and better. One kid in particular, at times homeless I worked hard to buy presents of clothes and shoes for. I was more interested in working with kids than I was my own peers, but that was part of the deal. I was amazed at all the stories, all the times I had thought I was alone but was not. I paid particular attention to my studies, being really challenged by my AP course work. In English class I was happy to turn in my poetry and writing, but heartbroken when it was returned full of criticisms. All my teachers said I could write well, but I didn't have anything to say then. I wrote small pieces, and was awarded a couple writing awards here and there but I saw writing as a lucky person's job. Just living, surviving and focusing on getting out was all that was on my mind. Being part of AVID, the High School retention class made me keep organized, that and Tori Amos are pretty much the only reasons I got accepted to UCLA.