A poem by a survivor participating in the As You Are Program
Shhh is what I tell myself every day.
My voice is too small, and it doesn’t really matter anyway.
I do this to myself. I hear people mutter.
She has to get away from him.
Shhh…
Don’t say anything.
She is just a junkie – it’s why she stays.
My life doesn’t matter now.
There really isn’t any hope of saving me.
I’m just another statistic, a sad and lonely life.
Life, life, life.
What a powerful word.
Shhh…
Do you hear that?
That’s me.
I’m breathing life.
My voice is loud.
It’s not too small, and it matters every day.
I’m bigger than my scars, my addiction, the one who harmed me.
I laugh, I cry, and I scream.
It’s okay to feel. It’s okay to exist.
I hear people talk.
“Wow, that girl is a survivor. She has found her wings.”
Shhh…
Do you hear that?
That’s me being me.
Shhh…
Do you hear that?
That’s my peace.
My voice is too small, and it doesn’t really matter anyway.
I do this to myself. I hear people mutter.
She has to get away from him.
Shhh…
Don’t say anything.
She is just a junkie – it’s why she stays.
My life doesn’t matter now.
There really isn’t any hope of saving me.
I’m just another statistic, a sad and lonely life.
Life, life, life.
What a powerful word.
Shhh…
Do you hear that?
That’s me.
I’m breathing life.
My voice is loud.
It’s not too small, and it matters every day.
I’m bigger than my scars, my addiction, the one who harmed me.
I laugh, I cry, and I scream.
It’s okay to feel. It’s okay to exist.
I hear people talk.
“Wow, that girl is a survivor. She has found her wings.”
Shhh…
Do you hear that?
That’s me being me.
Shhh…
Do you hear that?
That’s my peace.