The strength I never choose...

antra.coree

The only path I was given was strength-

a cloak too heavy for a child's shoulders.

 

Each time I longed for comfort,

I was handed phrases like stones:

"You are strong, you can bear it"

But when my heart ached for warmth,

it was chilled.

 

When I begged to be understood,

I was taught to understand.

When I reached for arms,

I touched only air.

When I cried for love,

they called it weakness.

 

Now the child within me,

who never tasted childhood,

Plays with tiny joys

-collects giggles like seashells,

clings to moments like fireflies in jars.

 

Yet they call me immature.

 

Tell me-

is maturity nothing but silence?

A seriousness carved into stone?

Is it standing alone in the dark,

with no promise of love?

 

If so,

let me remain a child.

For innocence is the only strength that still keeps me alive.

Comments +

Comments3

  • nitya

    this poem is so relatable. So well written and creatively crafted.

    • antra.coree

      Thank you! Keep reading

    • sorenbarrett

      A beautiful poem of the positive atributes of a child and one that is given the burdens of an adult when a child and called a child when they become an adult a mixed and paradoxical combination. Well written

      • antra.coree

        Yes thank youuuuuu for your kind words!

        • sorenbarrett

          You are always most welcome

        • Friendship

          Well written



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