Never has a greater wretch walked on this here land
Her wrists are bound in iron
In torn and stained attire

Never has a sadder ghost drifted on this sand
Her sallow skin translucent
Atoning for cruel abuses

Never was a sicker girl seen on an empty path
Blood flows with every sneeze
Her lungs rattle with a wheeze

Never has a woman been dealt with so much wrath
Rocks bruise her skinny legs and arms
Wicked people visit her with harm

She walks in quiet misery
She drifts from place to place
She never stays in one town long
Or shows her tear-streaked face

She walks in utter silence
She never whispers a single word
She never notices those around
Their devilish faces all a blur

She walks in quiet misery
From civilization to the wild
She will always be in misery
Remorse at losing her only child

When life presents in adversity
I know this is how
I transcend my past
It is a blessing
Evidence I am progressing
On my journey
To become human

You feel you are a stack of mortar and brick
I see you as a sailing ship
So funny how these things contradict
You think you’re still, I say you’re still moving

Shift with me, but standing against the waves
You’re not one for the newest craze
Traditional as you innovate
You and your wonderful “you-ness”

See each time you rise and fall
Ship to sea, not stagnant wall
Consistently moving, never to be stalled
Till your destination is reached

And until you sail again

I would hold my grudges like I kept my secrets,
I would smile while dying just to pretend,
That I was okay and above it I could ascend,
I thought the weight was too heavy for me to contend.

I would wallow in despair and swallow hateful tears,
I learned that secrets are like cancers metastasising through humanity,
Hatred is a product of imbalanced duality,
And if we are to move forward we must outgrow insanity.

Awake, I’m in my senses
The drowsiness has disappeared
The light colours my skin
As I walk towards tomorrow
All my thoughts and prayers
Are now in the palm of my hand
I’ll bring them with me every step I take
And I’ll never forget yesterday,
But tomorrow is where I should be
This time I’ll take the stars
Run with the lights
Cross the rivers, and fly above the sea
To get to you,
tomorrow.

a strong silent power,
rising steady and certain.
putting in the honest work,
day in and day out.
our feminine nature
is the kind of persistent presence
that withstands, and outlasts
life's constant challenges.
eternally exceeding expectations,
we overcome, we succeed,
we grow.

You can be a boulder,
Unmoveable, hard, stoic;
But every stone is permeable,
And the water gets in
To make the rock sand...
Soft, malleable,
With indistinguishable grains.

I know others who swim
Against adversity to spawn in the current.
They believe destination is destiny;
Focussed, driven with tunnel vision.

Some face adversity like a roller-coaster.
When things are going north, all is good;
But they throw up their arms and scream
When going south.

I will catch the west wind,
Change course if necessary,
Tack across the white caps of roiling waters.
I will steer the rudder towards my East.