Keep Fighting
by, Melissa R. Mendelson

A long time ago,
I was told
to give up
the dream,
and I listened.
A long time ago,
it was suggested
that I find a man
to take me home
and make me his wife.
This would be the life
for me,
but it was not the future
I had in mind.
I wanted to fly.
I wanted my dreams
to breathe the air
that we take for granted.
I wanted to dream.
How could I dream,
if I denied myself
from myself?
Who would I be,
if I gave myself away?
A long time ago,
I was told to give up,
but I should never have listened.
I locked myself away,
losing myself in misery,
but I found my way back.
My dreams are realized.
I’m alive,
and no more am I
a stranger
to myself.
This is my life.