To define who you are, 
your life is to refuse 
the easy road 
and take the one 
that will bend and break you, 
and every time you stand back up, 
you're another step 
into who you really are. 
Learning life, 
each footstep 
is a mark 
on the road 
to remember that you stood here 
and to remember to not stand back 
in this spot. 
With each tear and scream, 
you shed the past 
and walk the line 
toward an uncertain future, 
but you are standing tall now. 
From all the falls and all the scars, 
you become stronger 
because if life were easy, 
then all you would have learned 
and all you would have 
is nothing 
because you would remain the child 
that thinks of the world as a playground, 
where dreams are easy to find  
and live. 

Building Blocks
by, Melissa R. Mendelson