A poem by Shirley J. Davis (Morgan)

I did not give up then
I do not give up now
I will battle to my last breath
Fighting long-held lies with the truth

I am scared
I am battle-worn
And I admit,
I’m exhausted

I’ve been through deepest hell
Have looked Satan in the face
I’ve fought his attempt to steal my soul
And yet, by God, I am still here

I was supposed to self-destruct
To roll over and simply die
Yet, I have not lost that war
I have won

I am victorious over those who planned
To keep me down forever
But I will no longer hide
I am not the one who should feel shame

I am full of fury
My heart is full of passion
I scream out in written words
What my mouth cannot adequately say

I cannot be shut up
I cannot be made silent
I will not remain quiet
As I will betray those who hurt me

I speak out against those who harmed me
I act to protect myself and children of the globe
I will continue to flex my muscles
To battle on, no matter the cost

Whatever fate throws my way
Or death when it arrives
I will hold onto who I am
And meet each challenge with eyes open wide

For one just reason,

I am a survivor, that’s what I do

© Shirley J. Davis. Shared on Ivory Garden with the author’s permission.