A Fresh Start

Bottled anger and broken glass,

Tired eyes and somber laughs.

I was just a child not more than ten,

When the only family I  knew came to its end.

Domestic violence is what tore us apart—

We all split up, we all needed a fresh start.

My father came to the west coast with change in mind,

While my mother went south to live with her own kind.

I went with my mother who was emotionally destroyed—

It was as if I was no longer her blood, but just a toy.

I was barley thirteen I had nowhere to go,

Only my childlike wonder kept me from woe.

Exploring nature and building kept my despair at bay,

Until my curiosity took me to an old shed one day.

There was nothing endearing, there was nothing in sight—

Except a book sitting in a murky puddle, showcased by light.

It was a tattered, old book ripped at the seams,

It no longer had its shine, its beauty— its gleam.

I picked it up in its soggy wet state;

And I ran right home, I just couldn’t wait.

I took a blow dryer and dried it all out,

I was ready to see what this book was all about.

I opened the cover not knowing what to think,

There it read “Maya Angelou” written in faded ink.

I flipped through the pages looking for one poem not damaged—

There was only one, barely legible that I was able to manage.

It spoke of hardships and it spoke of pain,

Every word was screaming my name!

This poem reached out and grabbed my heart,

Her words let me know I have lived the hardest part.

Ms. Angelou let me know that I can still thrive—

I am strong, I am brave, and that I will do more than just survive.

I will rise from heart ache, I will rise from this destruction,

I will rise fearless, I will rise with her poems instruction.

This simple poem made me who I am,

It taught me to have confidence and not give a damn.

I will not let the life I had define me;

Just like dust, I rise— I leave my past behind me.

I will keep my head up, I will NOT be beset with gloom—

I will rise just like you, Ms. Maya Angelou.