Redwood

You cannot break me

Not my

Spirit

Essence

Bones

Resilience

Courage

Mental

I am not yours

I belong to my ancestors

They protect me from your ill will

My power lies in my belief in myself

You’ve tried to poison my mind

With the poisonous words on your tongue

I may fall ill

But I do not die

I’ve waded through deep sorrow

Burning my lungs with stifled air

I’ve gasped for breaths

As you watched me from the bank

You grinned when you thought I’d gone under

But little did you know

That I became one with my death

I wasn’t ever going to die at your hands

It wasn’t my time

You scarred my skin like the masters scarred their skin

Like them it was never about love

It was always about control

You thought you were breaking my will

But like my ancestors

I only grew stronger

You told me I wasn’t loved

But in reality it was you

Who was unable to love yourself

Therefore you alienate everyone

It is you who are old but not wise

It is you who are old but not mature

It is you who are old but very insecure

Your capacity for love is stunted

You are a victim of your smallness

And you tried to shrink me too

But I’m far greater than you’d imagine

You can’t see me

Nor overstand me

Because I am what you believe me to be

Lucky for me my worth is not reliant on you

I am resilient

Because I had to endure your abuse

I am tenacious because I refused to believe you

I am loving because you were not

I am worthy

Because I found my worth

I am gentle

Because of your harshness

I’m also guarded

Because you are a terrible example of love

I do not trust

Because you’ve never given me a reason to

I was born of you

But we are not of each other

You are a person like I’m a person

But you are a stranger

We may share DNA

But we do not share what makes humanity good

Yours is conditional

Mine is everlasting

You are a fake

I am real

BECAUSE I have seen what false looks like

And I couldn’t ever be like that

I am more than you’ll ever know

And that is your loss