In the shadows of my mind,

valleys carved with pain.

Where echoes threaten my very sanity,

and bind my soul with unbreakable chains.

Each step I take is an act of courage.

Though sometimes that courage lacks

the strength to persevere and continue the fight.

With all my might, I must fight back.

The weight of silence, my shield, my fortress.

Locks my soul from ever soaring free.

Yet, within the soil, a tiny root begins to take form.

With hope and determination, someday it will be a tree.

Within the rubble, new life begins to grow.

Sprouts of hope with boldness and pride.

Through the heartache, I grow stronger.

A flicker of light deep inside.

A quiet promise of what will be.

A hope that my past will hold no power.

The scars I wear are someone else’s shame.

I no longer take the blame that was never mine.

They mark the battles, name by name.

So, my heart can bloom as the sun shines.

Each story I tell exposes the truth

That I must challenge every day.

A strength that the shows of the past

frees me to say the words I couldn’t say.

I begin to rise unbroken, though with many scars.

Each holds a story of its own.

Like the morning sunshine after the darkness of night.

I am learning to love, something I have never known.

Morgan