The mess I’ve become, the once strong oak tree.
There are times I wish you were here. Other times I feel you quite near.
I talk to you silently inside my head, and sometimes at night when I’m lying in bed,
I wish life were different and no one would die. I wish for no pain, no reasons to cry.
Tears of happiness, those I can take. The ones I can’t bear are the tears of heartbreak.
You feel like you’re broken and never will mend. Then, like a miracle, branches will bend.
They bend without snapping, as you thought they would.
From mighty oak to osier, didn’t know that I could. Could rise again, after falling so hard.
Slowly but surely, I picked up the shards, of my shattered heart and my darkened soul,
When all that I saw was the blackness of coal.
All in all, I had no choice. This meant I had to find my voice.
For if I lay there any longer, I knew that I would not get stronger.
Somehow, I had to find my way. I knew I’d have to dig and pray.
And so, with every breath I took, I fought the fear, tried to look,
to look ahead and try to see, that lovely girl that once, was me.
I had to find a little hope, something that would help me cope.
Then I remembered fast and true, that I’m a seed that came from you.
And, if you could survive your life, surely I, could beat the strife.
So, I clung on with all I had, and inch by inch, good or bad,
I said I’ll take it, just today. Somehow, I will find a way.
Inch by inch and foot by foot, I cleared away the dusty soot.
Now here I am well on my way, to making life a better day.
Author Bio:
Johanne is a mother of three from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her love of writing began as a child and she has been published in Survivor Today magazine. Writing is her passion and she hopes to share the human experience through her work.