Sometimes poetry provides me a path for healing not always possible with prose. This poem was written for an online poetry class with Susan Frybort. If you are on a healing journey, I highly suggest her book of poetry, Look to the Clearing: Poems to Encourage.
The prompt for the poem below was, “To write a poem about being who you are in a world that pressured you to be something entirely contradictory. What does that look like?”
Words BRAVEly Written
Brave
Not just a book title.
Not just a word.
It’s a brave story,
Of pain finally heard.
A Bicycle
Not just a bike.
Not just a small girl.
But one with a story,
Of how she survived.
The Words
Not just verbs,
Nor adjectives or nouns.
Not just parts of sentences,
But my voice written loudly.
A Life
Not my abuser’s story,
Not the one that they wrote.
Not just another story,
Of pain that was silenced.
A Book
Not just a memoir.
Not just paper and ink.
But pages filled with truth,
Of words finally heard.
A Choice
Not without fear.
Not seeing the future.
Not backing down,
From telling of healing.
An Author
Not stopping now.
Not living their lie.
Not ever regretting,
My Words BRAVEly Written.