We're Strong Poem by Angela Bontle Ditumiso

Sometimes it seems like
Life purposely torments us
To see if our hearts will fail
As if it's fun watching us
Moaning and mourning
In intense pain

We're forced to breathe
An air full of micro pins
They say life gives us lemons
So we make lemonade
Well, lemon is sour to the taste
Not afflictive
So what can we prepare
Out of bags of saturated pain?

I've witnessed some fight
To stay afloat
In a sea of catastrophe
Kicking and groping at the air
Wanting to swim inshore
With bricks weighing them down

These problems look much bigger than us
But we fight anyway
Fight with all our might
But at times we just give in
Just sit still and watch trials gnaw at us
It can be quite draining
Fighting a war that's unfavorable

But here is the naked truth
You can overcome it all
Young warrior
Tribulations come and go
An exercise for the living
A trial run to determine
Our strength and endurance

We have strong hearts
But fragile mentality
Once we figure that out
We would know
The only time we're weak
Is when we judge the weight of
Our problems with our eyes
In doing so most fights are lost
Before they even begin
Because the eyes can deceive the mind

Yes, tribulations come
And go
Leaving behind a mark
Scars that either serve
As an accolade
That we rose from among
The dead victorious
Or as a sign of defeat

Next time when problems
Approach as they shall
Remember my words
We're stronger than we
Think, strength is a mine
Stored within our mentality
So be optimistic in the
Midst of suffocating problems

When trouble declares a war
Know that it is you who
Determines whether you'll
Win or lose
We're strong
Just look at how far you've come