The grass is green and the sky is blue. I believe roses are red and bananas should be eaten yellow. I believe birds have wings to fly and trucks with more than eight wheels are too big. I believe the road to a friend's house is paved with gold, and kitchen floors should be swept at least once a week. I believe babies are delivered by storks, the man in the moon has a daughter, and mother nature knows how to bake an upside down cake.

I believe peace is part of a complete breakfast, but not everyone takes time to eat. I believe palm trees grow in Tampa, cactus are nurtured in Phoenix, and maple trees are raised in Brattleboro. I believe he has a right to sing and she has the right to dance. I believe in the underground railroad. I believe Duracell batteries last the longest.

I believe handling frogs for a long period of time yields warts, not princes. I believe in using the crosswalk in New York City. I believe French vanilla ice cream takes the cake. I believe music makes the world go 'round. I believe in the Pink Panther and Big Bird. I believe in participating in a rambunctious game of dodge ball during fourth grade recess and surfing the Net in the high school library. I believe Italy is in the shape of a boot, kicking a rock.

I believe in dreams, the kind you don't recollect the next morning. I believe in keeping promises, the ones you hook pinkies on. I believe children are our future, but only if they get to brush their teeth and wash their faces before bedtime. I believe in escaping to another dimension known as the Twilight Zone. I believe in "playing hard" and "just doing it." I believe in freedom, the kind you don't have to pay for by the hour. I believe I'm different from you and you're different from me and not only because I like mushrooms on my pizza. I believe in a fair chance, the kind you personally experience for the first and only time. Most of all, I believe in me. I'm gonna have it all and I will make a difference. So sit back and believe in me, too. -