do your best under the circumstances.

There is no land of perfect, child.
There is no sea of ease.
There is no candy apple trail.
There's broccoli and peas.

There is no suit of armour, child.
There's arrows and there's pain.
But when your heart is broken, child
Stay strong and love again.

There is no perfect person, child.
Not presidents or queens.
There's only all us trying, child
To be human human beings.

- Sheree Fitch

I'm a big fan of Sheree Fitch's writing. Her book Toes in My Nose was one of my favourites growing up; I could recite a few of the poems by memory -- and still can! The poem above is from another of her books, If I Had a Million Onions. I discovered it when I worked at a library the summer after my first year of university. I must have read "Do Your Best Under the Circumstances" a billion times, as well as a couple other poems from the book that really got me. Children's poetry is for adults, too!

(Photo from If I Had a Million Onions, via Sheree Fitch)