This is a poem I wrote called: I Refuse to Fall
Resilience is the prize we win
for overcoming — not succumbing.
It’s the golden jewel we covet so
in our process of becoming.
It’s the elastic band we hold in hand to spring us back to form —
it finds a way to shelter us
and save us through the storm.
Resilience is recovery — it does not mean we’re healed —
it means our minds & bodies rise
with elasticity & zeal.
It means that we are quick to return
to once our previous form —
my previous form is a persecuted stray,
a dog fighting stress & forlorn.
A survivor is someone who people want to get tougher.
And to constantly survive
is to perpetually suffer.
So to say I’m resilient
is to say that I’ve fallen.
And I refuse to fall down,
defeated & rotten.
I am strong, this is true
because I know who I am.
I own my humanity and honor it so —
to reduce this is a sham.
I am someone who knows the weight of my power
in the presence of forces that aim to devour —
that strive to deprive & contrive a plan
to demolish my birthright to thrive & expand.
So to say I’m resilient means I can barely breathe -
it means my mind & body can succumb to a siege.
To say I’m resilient means I’ve fallen from grace,
in my eyes — not yours —
myself, I won’t efface.
Know I don’t fall
Know I don’t bend.
I REFUSE to fall down
I only ascend.
