It's My Choice Poem by Leria Hawkins

Date: August 4,2021
By: Leria Hawkins

I can choose to be weak
Beneath the boot that trod me
Or wear it for walking
Up, out the door and into the light

I can surrender to insults
Or let them roll from me
As cool as water under the bridge
Smiling and waving from the other side

I can count the hurt as my failing
Or bury it deep in a glacier of ice
A forgotten grave for all eternity
Fast frozen as the heart that cast it

I can wear shame as a cloak to disparage me
Or reinvent it as a bright new fashion statement
Bold and beautiful
Primed and ready for a new debut

I can choose to lie still
Silent as the rug that you walk on
Or stand up, smooth the wrinkles, shake off the grime
And fight word for word, the intrusion

I can choose to be oppressed
Wrapped and smothered in strings
Or untie the laces that bind me
Spread my wings and fly into the sunshine

I can choose…yes, "I" can choose
To be weak, hurt, disparaged, or die
I can choose light instead of dark, joy instead of pain

Yes, I can choose, and I choose to live
Loud and proud, hopeful for all that life has to offer
I'm strong, beautiful, and oh so worth it
Yes, I choose to live…because it's MY choice.