The Stones Beneath Our Feet

I gather the stones scattered on the rough, winding path,  

Each jagged rock, each cold fragment, born from struggle,  

With my hands I lift them, cradle them as parts of my soul,  

Shaping them into the foundation of something vast,  

The bones of the earth sing in each heavy block of burden,  

They tell me to rise, to build from what has held me down,  

I fashion a stairway upward, toward the limitless horizon,  

For every stone placed becomes a step in my ascent,  

I celebrate the sharp edges that cut me as I climb,  

Because from resistance I discover my greatest strength.