I Rise, Therefore I Am

The spine of the world is broken,

It leans toward ruin—

its weight pressing down

with laws etched in blood and silence.

Unjust.

Cruel.

Cold as empire.

Yet still—

I rise.

From dust and doubt,

I rise—

not as shadow,

but as flame.

In remembrance

of what breath means

when stolen,

what justice means

when denied.

I stand.

I rebel—

not with blind rage,

but with eyes unclouded,

and a heart unbound.

I resist—

each chain,

each lie,

each whispered “stay in line.”

to unearth the truth beneath the lie.

beneath the story they wrote.

beneath their sacred script.

They may hush the wind,

they may mute the sky,

They may muddy the river—

but they cannot cage the fire.

I am not what they permit.

I am not theirs to name.

This life is mine.

And I do not stand alone.

Together—

We rise.

We rebel.

We resist.

Therefore—

We are.