Here I am like a flower baring the bitter thrashing wind

The rain beating down with no mercy upon my battered stem

With each drop I feel the sting penetrate deep within

But still I stand; here I am.

Lightening bolts shoot across the sky; thunder roars in anger

The clouds cast a deathly image; a mighty beast in hunger

My petals bow in shame and fear; most have lost their color

But still I stand; here I am.

A forbidden grief engulfs me, and a petal meets the ground

Slowly dying, my thorns scream for justice; a voice with no sound

The clouds cover the sky inviting raging spiraling winds

But still I stand; here I am.

Stinging stabbing rain slices through me as the forbidden grief floods the earth and turns to rage

Digging further into the core my roots cling for life; a life without pain

The ground has turned to mush and a deadly silence takes over my entire being

But still I stand, here I am.

Lightening strikes near me to give validation of the forbidden and unforgiven

I bend to horrific torture, but I do not break as the storm begins to die

A full moon appears and casts its glow upon me to comfort and heal my embedded wounds

She says to me, "I hear your voice; I see your light"

I still stand; here I am I say...this is my life!

By J.P

2008