"Echoes of Strength"
In the dim-lit corridors of my yester-years,
I tread, a soul, both fractured and whole.
A tale unfolds – raw, unrefined,
The rhythm of my heart, a battle-scarred drumline.
My sister, a shadow, once by my side,
Departed early, in life's relentless tide.
Left in the wake, a mother and I,
Battling demons, under a fractured sky.
Childhood, a battlefield, silent and stark,
Questions fired in the dark –
"Why nurture the poison, why feed the flame?"
In their actions, an unspoken blame.
Betrayal stung, a father's choice misled,
My lifeline to dreams, unjustly shred.
A young warrior's challenge, bold and clear,
In the mirror of his eyes, my own fear.
Teenage years, a labyrinth of pain,
Mother imprisoned, my loss, her chain.
Emotional feasts to fill the void,
Mockery's arrows, cruelly deployed.
Yet, resilience – a phoenix within,
From ashes of despair, new chapters begin.
Words and verses, my silent scream,
In the ink, my fears and dreams.
At eighteen's door, a vow I made,
From shadows past, a new crusade.
Collegiate halls to corporate streams,
Forging paths in fields of dreams.
A Black woman's forge in California's embrace,
Breaking chains, setting pace.
Yet, success, a bittersweet friend,
Can't mask the wounds, can't fully mend.
Forties whisper wisdom's tune,
Healing's dance under a wiser moon.
Therapy's embrace, writing's grace,
In their arms, my soul's safe space.
Sister – our bond, a complex art,
Distance and love, playing their part.
In family's garden, not all flowers bloom,
In some petals, hidden gloom.
This journey – mine, a tale of fire,
Of lost chords and unmet desire.
Yet, in each step, strength's silent song,
In my heart, where it belongs.
For those walking through storms, unseen, unheard,
Let these words be your empowering bird:
"Rise, rise, above, beyond,
In your story, you are strong."
-Geneva Solomon
#BlackAmericanPoetry #ResiliencePoem #OvercomingAdversity #InspirationalPoetry #BlackCreative