Still Here...Still Rising

I see you, child, in a house of stone,

learning too early to stand alone,

the hands that should guide instead caused tears,

yet you found the courage to face your fears,

a spark survived where the dark had crept,

a soul still rising though silence wept.

I see you, teen, with the night as your bed,

a bridge for a pillow, the stars overhead,

cast out or escaping, yet still you fight,

you carve out a family from shards of the night,

your feet keep moving, though heavy the cost,

you are not broken; you are never lost.

I see you, grown one, who carries the weight,

of paychecks that vanish, of bills that wait,

addiction may whisper, the struggle may bite,

but still you stand tall in the hardest of nights,

you build out of nothing, you fight through the rough,

your spirit unyielding, your strength is enough.

I see you, mother, with fire in your eyes,

raising your children where hope defies,

no partner beside you, yet still you provide,

a tigress protecting with unbroken pride,

through loss or betrayal, you’ve carried it all,

a queen who can conquer, who refuses to fall.

Your scars are not shame, they are armor you wear,

each stumble, each setback, shows strength still there,

you are fire and thunder, a storm breaking free,

the bad-ass bitch you were meant to be,

so stand and remember when shadows intrude:

your power is endless, your spirit renewed.

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“Still Here, Still Rising” is a declaration of resilience — a hymn for those who’ve been knocked down and chose to rise anyway. At its core, it’s about transformation; how brokenness becomes armor, how power is reclaimed from the ruins. It’s a reminder that survival itself is an act of rebellion, and that rising is its own kind of poetry.