To Write Love on Her Arms

Indigo cotton rests on skin once scarred by the blade

Renee danced with

Renee Yohe, the catalyst to Jamie Tworkowski in the founding of

An organization that would bring hope to thousands of girls and boys

Around the globe

What started as a grassroots organization in Florida will be known as the

Lifeboat for thousands of people in countries all over the world

I wear my To Write Love on Her Arms shirt as a survival badge

Because I am a survivor

I wear my To Write Love on Her Arms shirt for community, to let people know

Hey, I’ve been there too

I wear my To Write Love on Her Arms shirt for everyone who didn’t win my battle,

For everyone who’s still fighting for breath every second of every day,

And for everyone who has fought in this war

I wear this shirt so maybe

When I’m buying apples

When I’m ordering my daily coffee fix

When I’m wandering down Vancouver streets

When I’m on the bus beside a girl whose tears don’t even try to be hidden

Maybe that grocery store clerk knows of this pain

Maybe he will find hope in the way my strong arms were once weak

Maybe the barista is a relative of Renee

Maybe that girl who I pass on the street

And a smile tugs at the corners of her lips

Maybe she is a survivor too

And maybe that girl on the bus

Could be a survivor once the tears have passed

We are all a community

A mass of people fighting for oxygen

We all have our battles and we all wear our scars

And we all need speech, communication to survive this