All You Had

This is a reflection on adoption, primarily cross cultural adoption. The inspiration for this piece came from one man’s story. It is not representative of every adoptee’s experience, but I found his story very powerful.


The darkness closed in around you,
threatening to take everything you had,
which was not much, but still, it was all you had.
The weight of the world came crashing down upon you.
You were lost in an endless sea of addiction,
as you tried to take away your pain.
You clutched tightly to that pain,
afraid to let it go, because it was all you had.
You climbed down into the dark and lonely pit of isolation and rage,
unable to confront those who had tried to destroy you and crush your spirit.
Everything that was born into you through your ancestors was removed.
What was left behind was just an empty void.
One day, the light of hope would shine down upon you,
and you would find the strength to live beyond your pain.
You put away all that threatened to destroy you,
and found the healing that you desired.
A new life began within you,
and who you were meant to be came forth.
You found solace and hope through your art.
You worked toward your healing every day,
because somewhere deep within you knew you were worthy of it.

Rebecca Truman © 2010