I Am A Warrior Who Lives and LIVE: Two Poems By Alyson Swann

By Alyson Swann, See the Triumph Guest Blogger

In life we must realize that in order to survive, we must make the decision to live. You are a survivor. We all are survivors. There is a warrior that stands tall within each and every one of us. Against all odds, we must love ourselves enough to move past all that is destructive and continue to rebuild ourselves. To Live, is to Love. To Live, is to move on. To Live, is to be strong! Whatever you do, remember to Live to go on!  

I Am A Warrior Who Lives
(Through the eyes of a survivor)

Living takes the place of the
constant pain of complacency.  

Living means leaving all
that is destructive behind,
Living means moving with time.

Living is taking control of your life,
loving yourself despite
the obstacles that might,
cause you to lose
if you do not
Live.

I am a warrior who refused to die
on the battle field.
I am a warrior who refused
to be killed.

I am a warrior whose wounds
have been healed.
I am a warrior who chooses
to Live.

Despite the odds,
Despite the constant rip of the heart,
Despite the tears,
Despite the uncertainty of what was near,  

I packed my things despite the fear,
and chose
to Leave,
in order
to Live.

I am a warrior.

The same Warrior,
that lives
in
YOU.

**********************************  

You are a survivor. You have stood against all odds. Continue to live for yourself, and for those who may not have the chance that you possess. Continue to love yourself, and know that you are have been chosen to live to the best of your ability. Life has so much in store for you. Never forget how far you have come. Continue to survive, continue to strive, continue to live!

LIVE

The moment that I was born
I was chosen to fulfil a purpose
a purpose filled
with roses and sunshine.
a purpose that would take
struggle and opposition to
completely
fill.
a purpose that slipped away from the tips of my fingers
before I could ever grasp the chance
to live.
a purpose that was stripped from my soul
before I could ever grasp the chance
to give
myself everything and more
of what I truly deserved.  

The moment that I was wounded
my entire world
shut down
right before my eyes,
although I moved as if I could not see.
I no longer knew the person
that stood in front of me
in the mirror.

As pain grew nearer,
I grew further
from my identity.  

lashes to the heart became expected
as I neglected
the ability to feel,
I remained
numb.

subconsciously knowing
that it was time to
leave all
that had me
shackled behind
but
I continued to
stay.  

Until one day,
choices no longer existed.
The choice was made,
my existence
instantly faded away
brutally, twistedly
taken away.

If only I would have lived
before I couldn’t.
If only I would have left
before I wouldn’t.  

Words for all who have
experienced misuse
never become accustomed
to such abuse.

Always make the choice
to live
past the horrors of past,
and past the fears of today,
in order to make it
to the beauty
of the future.

Live for those whose
spirits fly through the clouds of heaven.
Live for those who
lost the choice to do so.
Live for those who
left without
loving themselves.  

Live for yourself  

LIVE.

Alyson E. Swann is a BA student in the Theatre Arts Department of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, currently representing the prestigious Pi Zeta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. as Miss Black and Gold.  She is a natural born writer and poet, and plans to use her gifts to reach and touch the lives of women all over the world. Aside from writing, acting has always been her heart’s true desire. She has recently been casted in a local television show entitled “Stay the Night” which will air in 2015 on local television station “MY48”. Her plans are to further her acting career immediately following graduation. The philosophy that she lives by is “Change is the essence of Life. Be willing to surrender who you are, for what you could become.”