Your Name - Poem

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An uplifting poem about the person you hoped you would grow into. In “Your Name,” Greg Luti imagines a future where crowds chant your name — not for fame, but for the honest, good person you wanted to be since childhood.

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I hope when the crowd gathers, and the stadium is full

And everyone is ready for the big show.

I hope they are all screaming your name, kid.

I hope that your name is the one on the billboard and is uttered by everyone who is there to see you.

They are all excited to learn what you are going to do next.

They see the greatness you have had in you ever since you were a child.

And when they do scream out your name, I hope you give them someone to look up to,

A role model for the youth,

A gentleman for the ladies,

Someone too honest for the truth, and too good for the lies.

For you always had that in you, kid, to be able to reach people and make them see the greatness in yourself and in us all.

And up in the bleacher seats, far off out of sight, I will be there, cheering you on, kid.

Me and all those others who can barely afford tickets will be there to support you.

I will be there for you, to see that the crowd saw in you what I always did.

And when they leave, and they will leave,

Leaving you alone, and by yourself, with nothing more than your experience and second thoughts.

When that moment of uncertainty happens,

I hope you stand tall and never be afraid of the emptiness.

For your greatness was never based upon a filled room, or how loud the crowd yells.

It came from something deeper in you.

I hope you are so strong that when you stand alone on that stage, and people abandon and leave you, you shine brighter than ever, not once even doubting yourself or where you stand.

And when the crowd leaves, and you start to wonder if anyone else is there to cheer you on, know that I will still be there, rooting from a distance, calling out your name.

Let the crowds go.

Let the phonies walk away.

Let the trend seekers forget about you.

They never saw you for who you are anyway.

The great kid I saw growing up, who was meant to be something in this world.

And when you look out and see the empty crowd, and wonder if there is anyone else left in the world to really care about you,

I hope you remember two people who mean more than any other in your life.

They are not your fans.

They don’t want your autograph.

And they are not star-struck when they see you.

And like me, they will always support you, whether the room is full or empty.

I hope you remember your parents when you stare out at the full arena, and everyone calls your name.

When the world wants you and asks you to give too much of yourself, so much that you wonder who you ever are, I hope you remember the two who gave all they could for you.

You didn’t see it like I did, kid, but those two, those two loved you more than they loved anything in this world.

Don’t forget those who brought you into this world and taught you all that you are.

Even after the crowds, the critics, and everyone else, will tell you there are more important things in your life than them.

Remember Mom and Dad.

There was a day when there was no stage for you to rule.

No crowd for you to captivate.

No one to fill the room.

Only those two to love and care for you.

Keep their love in you, wherever you go in this world, kid

And you’ll find the very thing that makes you can never be taken from you.

And remember, I’ll always be rooting for you, kid.

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