I Felt The Power

I fell down the rocky mountain many times,

I cried as blood dripped from my hands,

My legs were sore, aching from the pain,

Over and over again, my mind told me that

I was going insane.

I fell once more;

Landing inside the deep, dark cave of depression,

Where voices from my past tormented me;

"Carol, you're useless,"

Carol, you're a worthless piece of shit,"

"Give it up, carol; you'll never make it,"

Yet, still, I was determined to move forward with

my mission,

With searing pain from the cuts and bruises that felt

like a million knives tearing through my whole body,

I crawled along the dark, damp ground inside the huge,

cavernous cave;

It was years before I saw the light of day at the end of the tunnel;

I had braved many demons and monsters who ate away at my spirit,

My soul and mind were slowly eating themselves away,

Then I felt it;

The surge of adrenaline rushing through me whilst I battled

several giant venomous snakes from my past,

The ghostly hauntings of every person who had ever hurt me;

A strong bolt of lightning entered my body,

I did not let it strike me down;

I felt the power to rise above the fear

and save my life, for my life was precious and dear,

Even though my body was at the point of shattering,

I stood tall and raised my mighty sword;

The giant snake almost swallowed me whole twice,

On the third swing, I took it down,

Then I straightened my crown,

Feeling stronger and mightier than ever,

I continued to limp, trip, and fall as I stumbled through the cave,

desperate to find the light;

It took twenty years before I saw the light of day,

But I did;

I took down all my demons;

As I exited the cave, I saw the light,

And, to my right, a mighty rock I knew I had to

climb,

I breathed deeply;

Then, I climbed, and I climbed through all the pain that had engulfed

me throughout all the years,

The rock was very steep and twisted sharply,

But I was determined to survive,

I fought with determination to survive,

Several hours later, I reached the grassy top of the rock;

I took in the scenery of fields, roads, and mountains;

I smiled, then raised a fist in the air,

And, with every little bit of strength I had in me,

I shouted at the top of my voice;

"My past shall not destroy me.

For I am free to be the woman I am;

I felt the power to rise above fear,

And I pass that power on to all of the women

Living across this earth, where I do not just survive,

But live life to the full with the dignity, pride, and strength they

need to be themselves."