I Don't Cry, But Laugh... Poem by Dashaun Rashod Snipes Mister

I don't cry, but laugh instead,
For all the battles and struggles you've led.
You devoted your life to pressurize me,
To ultimately fail, but I refused to be.
You dispatched your hitchmen,
To break my bones and pull me thin.
Piece by piece over everything you wanted to hold,
But little did you know, I was tough and bold.
You tried to disown me, demonize and dehumanize,
Thought you could be the only one to live with pride.
You prepared me for the damned, your heaven,
But what you didn't want was for me to laugh, even.
You kept it a secret, your hidden agenda,
To keep me in check, to make me surrender.
But I refused to shed a tear,
For I knew that's what you wanted to hear.
After all the attempts to destroy and overcome,
I stand tall, unbreakable and overcome.
I don't know how to cry,
For I've learned to laugh and soar high.
I don't cry, but laugh instead,
For I am no longer under your thread.
You tried to make me your muse, your slave,
But I am no longer your muscle or stool, I am brave.
I've broken free from your chains,
And I will not let you hold me in disdain.
I don't cry, but laugh instead,
For I am empowered and my spirit has been fed.
So don't try to make me your puppet,
For I am no longer in your clutches.
I don't cry, but laugh instead,
For I am strong and I've overcome all that you did, and don't want to do, hating my skin, but refusing to grant me respect and one love.
Hating my skin is useless, like an empty shell.
So here's my message to all those who try,
To break me down and make me cry.
I don't cry, but laugh instead,
For I am resilient and I've risen from the dead.

Authorship by Mr. Dashaun Rashod Snipes
©Mr. Dashaun Rashod Snipes
®I Don't Cry, But Laugh