Before I quivered, appreciated the fetal position
more than your typical seventeen-year-old. Now!
I act on stage! I’ve played open mics! I present my Art
boldly with neither pretense nor fear.
I’ve done what I have done!
I have been shown what it is to be yourself
I have been reformed and
I have minds fresh and new clamoring inside my head.
They knew me more than I did myself, there;
they validated my creativity
my idiosyncrasies
my tiny flaws
and my colossal ones.
There were times:
I had to stand for what I thought to be true and
that standing, my friend, has made all the difference.
I am more me than I have ever been and more proud of that…
- Jon O’Neill
GSW Visual Art ‘07
