She Has The Strength
Born of the darkest world
She’s on the precipice of a steep cliff,
Staring the future in the eye in trepidation,
Spinning out of control with the weight of the world,
As her heart beats painfully in frustration.
**
Her world is off kilter, the axis tilting precariously,
And she knows she’s close to hitting rock bottom,
Stagnation and impatience at the top of the menu,
Until she’s a puddle on the floor feeling horribly rotten.
**
But into the darkness shines a single ray of sunshine,
And riding that wave is a tiny gleam of hope,
She holds on tightly, determination strong,
Realising she’s not totally beaten as she hikes the slippery slope.
**
Her wings flutter in excitement at the possibilities,
Understanding her time in this part of the world is finally done,
Adventures in her future as she rides her strength to glory,
Into the arms of the universe and a new life now spun.
**
She shoulders her betrayals and shelves them in her heart,
Lessons upon which she’ll draw her blooded revenge,
Her smile is waiting in her near distant future,
Leaving behind those that tend to destroy and pretend.
**
Her head is held high as she runs the gauntlet,
Swimming through the anguish of loss and grief,
Surviving months of darkness, stumbling blindly,
Until she works through her struggles with a sigh of relief.
**
Her time here is done and the newness is terrifying,
But within the deep recess of her scarred and blackened heart
Is a small glimmer of hope in which she grasps in surrender,
Dragged kicking and screaming into the light for a fresh start.
**
Where recently she was bent in despair and torment,
She’s now rediscovered her strength and fortitude,
Much can be said for the darkness and strict silence,
Destroying her sense of peace and treasured solitude.
**
But it was a necessary metamorphosis,
Feeling and struggling with the immensity of pain,
She rises from the flames, a phoenix reborn,
To terrorise the future with her hope and joy once again.
Please click the link below my name to read more of my work. I would also like to thank you for taking the time to read this today and for all your support.
If you enjoy this piece, you may enjoy this one too.
Please visit my website if you'd like more information on my newly published book, Battle Angel : The Ultimate She Warrior.
Originally published on Medium
About the Creator
Colleen Millsteed
My first love is poetry — it’s like a desperate need to write, to free up space in my mind, to escape the constant noise in my head. Most of the time the poems write themselves — I’m just the conduit holding the metaphorical pen.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Colleen Millsteed and writers in Poets and other communities.
A Flower Song
Apparently the Aztecs, Toltecs, Chichimecs and other Mexica were crazy about poetry. Despite the book-burning, slaughter, and epidemics that characterized the early stages of the Spanish conquest of the empires of Mexico, some hundreds of poems from the height of their tradition come down to us in Classical Nahuatl, preserved by Nahua and Spanish scholars of the 16th century. One of the most famous poets, Nezahualcoyotl, was a sage-king who opposed the cult of human sacrifice associated with Tezcatlipoca, God of the Smoking Mirror, and favored Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent. Flowers and feathers were the favorite offering of the Plumed Serpent. Moreover, flowers and feathers are a metaphor for poetry. Individual words, scattered petals, the down of tropical birds. The temples of blood sacrifice could be transformed into temples of flower and song. A sublimated offering to the Heart of Earth and the Heart of Sky encapsulated in the Classical Nahuatl kenning for poetry: in xōchitl in cuīcatl, meaning, "the flower and the song." The following poem is part of a longer work, and is in a state of flux, so take the waters as they flow:
By Rob Angeli4 days ago in Poets
Standing Still
There are very few moments in life where time truly stands still. When your breath is taken from your chest and your body hangs weightless in that moment. Just long enough for it to stay with you from that day onwards. Deep in the red sands of the Australian Outback, I found that moment and clung to it forever.
By Kevin McLaughlin4 days ago in Wander
Comments (4)
A wonderful and inspiring poem Colleen! ☺️👍
The struggle is so important. If we take pity on an emerging butterfly, aiding its escape from the cocoon, it will never be able to fly. The struggle is required to fill out its wings.
Gosh this was so magnificent and powerful! She's definitely a phoenix! Fantastic poem!
I'm glad she's looking forward to finding her smile with a fresh start. Good for her.