I Fight Poem by Angela Davis

I was a small child
an outlet for my parents' rage,
his vile, sickening lust
and I fought

I was a young woman
caught in the same web
by another and yet another,
I was a victim again
and I fought

I found freedom
and finally love
but I was afraid
it could not not be
And I fought

This love saw through
my fear and insecurities
overcame my walls
no longer did I fight

I found happiness
and joy in life
for the first time
being shown the beauty
of the world around me

But I watched my body
as it changed, wasting away
even as my heart and soul grew
and still I fight

I feel the sickness spread
It is eating me away
feeding it's mass
at my expense
soon there will be nothing left
but still I fight

Even as my body withers
I grow inside
What cancer strips from me
is filled by what my loves give me

Because I fight