I Did Not Give Up: Falling Upright

I was broken

and I did not fall apart.

I was alone

and I did not give up.

I was silent not because I had no voice,

but because I didn’t want

others’ weaknesses to teach me to quit.

I carried wounds

until they stopped hurting,

and when they stopped —

I explained them no more.

I didn’t look for saviors.

I found strength.

I didn’t ask for permission.

I chose dignity.

If I was to fall —

I would fall upright.

If I was to lose —

I would lose without kneeling.

Today I stand here

not because life pampered me,

but because it didn’t break me.

I owe no explanations.

I carry no bitterness.

I don’t go back.

And if anyone asks how I succeeded,

the answer is simple:

I DID NOT GIVE UP.