"I refuse to live my life in fear.

Never again will I cower at another’s thunder, as if I’m not a hurricane myself.

Never again will I bite my tongue

because some can’t stand the taste

of my truth.

Never again will I be wrought with doubt, reduced by someone else’s beliefs.

No, it will be peace and decency I display.

Not wounds and scar tissue.

I will not be summed up by my adversities.

Love against all odds,

will be my core,

my heart,

my identity.

How easy it would be to grow cynical,

after everything.

How easy it would be to turn malicious

and become the very things

that once threatened me.

I could grow cold and blame my distress

on an unfair world.

Instead,

I will be the tree whose roots run deep enough to withstand unwieldy winds.

I will not turn bitter.

I will not break.

I will bear and share the fruits

of a spirit that refused to grow poisonous.

Even my defiance will be beautiful.

What I leave behind

will be something as strong

as it is sweet."

~J. Raymond

(Love against all odds)

[ Pic by Amber Ortolano ]

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