The Defiant Heart Poem by Rose Marie Juan-austin

The claws of midnight
are here again,
and once more, I am the prey.
Oh, the mighty night
is absolutely consuming!
I dissolve into the shadows,
aching for a love that has no desire
and no map to find me--
a love that remains
the still air in a room
that has become a prison.

Yet, even in this dead hour,
a soft and gentle murmur persists.
For a heart that is longing,
yearning for love,
is a heart that still beats--
a defiant pulse
carving a bold path
toward a beautiful dawn,
where I am no longer the prey,
but the maker
of my own light.

Copyright 2026, Rose Marie Juan-Austin, All Rights Reserved