there are those
who read “survivor”
and instead
only see
only hear
“victim”
who deem me “damaged”
incapable
of a “normal” life
there are days
I struggle
there are nights
I bleed
while wolves howl at my door
I know
that I can be
hard to love
but it is
an insult
a mistake
to tell me
that all
I will ever be
is my brokenness
it is my steel
my grit
ridiculous stubbornness
pride
that has carried me
so far
I am a survivor
forged
in the fires of hell
I am a survivor
tempered
in the oceans of tears
I am a survivor
who emerged
a dragon
and I am fierce

© 2017 Revised 2021 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All Rights Reserved