Angela Davis (1976 / USA)

I was always alone
both body and soul
People saw and turned away
because I was nobody
I was what was made of me

By birth I was a survivor
I was a child in need
victim of crimes unseen
Fearful, guarded and wary
forced to grow up all too soon

What do you see
when you look at me
A monster, a lost cause,
a wayward soul
a hopeless being perhaps

Each day I try,
I try to heal the wounds,
to be better in some way
I try to take care of myself
but I never learned how

I've made it this far
A shell of who I was
lost and confused
with no hope
A survivor no more