By Guest Writer Xochi E. Dixon

So full of too much I’m about to burst.

Fed up with drama, I hunger, I thirst. (more…)

by RTF Assistant Editor Halee Matthews

Breathe it in, soak it up.
Can you feel it, can you see?
Revel in, embrace it fully.
It’s a beauty, it’s a gift.
Highly valued, yet it’s free.

It is ours, to be owned,
Though it cannot be controlled,
Sometimes quiet, but sometimes bold,
Wholly unpredictable,
Priceless, worth more than gold.

Fight for it, this dear gift.
Cultivate it, let it thrive.
This is the gift: you are alive!
Savor it, every moment.
Love it, live it: it’s life!

by RTF Assistant Editor Halee Matthews

They try to wrap their fingers
Around my very soul,
Drag me down into the depths,
A deep, dark, bottomless hole,
From which there is no return.

They assail me from all sides,
Fear and worry and doubt,
Trying hard to trap me in,
Make me think there’s no way out.
But there is a way, I know. (more…)

by RTF Staff Writer Judi Weiss

You’re the only one who doesn’t know about
The beauty that everyone else knows is there
You just can’t see it
No, you’re not aware (more…)

By RTF Editor B.J. Hamrick

Here I am again

Back at square one

I thought this would end

It’s only begun

This circle of grief

Traced into my soul

Cracks open and bleeds

I long to be whole

(more…)

By RTF Administrative Editor Ethan Hamrick

Tonight I saw I’ve been Peter

Afraid of the wind and the waves

Striving to know

The tide’s ebb and flow (more…)

By RTF Editor B.J. Hamrick

The scar on your arm

Is only a clue

Of the scar inside

That once terrified you

The fear is gone

The scar remains

A reminder of loss

And the power of pain

Love is a man

With a scar on His arm

It runs deep like yours

He understands harm

The scar on His arm

Is only a clue

Of the scar inside

That He bears for you

****

I wrote this several years ago for a friend when he told me he struggled with cutting himself.

At the time I didn’t tell him that I understood how he felt… I couldn’t even admit to myself that I struggled with self-harm.

Eventually the day came when I was ready to ask for help…

If I knew where he was today, I would tell my friend — you are not alone, and you can be free from this.

I know.

Your journey starts with finding a safe place to be vulnerable…

Contact me or Halee at realteenfaith[at]gmail[dot]com for more information.

by RTF Staff Writer Judi Weiss

Your poison fills my veins
As you take me for a ride
It’s driving me insane
I need somewhere to hide (more…)