[Art: by Tess, sculpture]

Though we may not know it
And are probably afraid to show it
We are all artichokes
Full of layers
Full of flavors
Just one fruit from a tree of life
A tree of history
Of ancestry
Hated by some
Loved by others
And those who have never seen or met us but judge us by our looks
Some who don’t know how to step back and look at the full picture
But instead judge us by the cover of our book
Who pick and poke
But don’t dare to peel away our layers and find our heart
But those who do dare find our heart fill it with love
And they take a piece for themselves
Until we are nothing but shreds of ourselves
When our seeds fall to the ground 
To make a creation of our own 
It is only then when we fully come around
And are able to hone
Our full circle moment
When we finally are able to own it
And for once say
“I did better than okay.”