The dictionary definition for the word inspire is, “fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” My goal for this year is to do so.  Steve Jobs, President Obama, Martin Luther King Jr. These are all amazing people, right down to their heart. But the people who inspire me the most are the people who ask themselves, “What can I do to make a difference?” Those are the people who inspire, those are the people who are pure. Those are the people who not only inspire me, but they inspire the people who say, “There’s no hope in trying.” So I hope this poem I wrote inspires you to shine for someones shadow.

Shine in my Shadow

By Kanmani Harivenkatesh

Be the light in the dark of fear.

Be the sun in the rain of hate, and poison.

Be the calm in the hurricane of pain and panic.

Be the hope for the forgotten.

Be at peace in the war of unforgiveness.

Be the shine for someone’s shadow.

Be the person people look up to, to be inspired.

• Kanmani Harivenkatesh