Still I Rise I'm gonna rise above this barbed wire Put all reasons to fail in a fire And hope the smoke hits God's eyes So he can cry For the burning inside Drop tears for my frantic fight to be whole Cause my 12-year-old dreams Need me to be strong It's been too long Holding on to suicide Feels too wrong To deteriorate To a one-way escape Self-hate flooding out the gates When it rains it pours I can't take it anymore Down this heartless road My footsteps echo A beat for change In the sonar waves A shattered faith That melts back together In the heat of the moment I like to soak in it And remember the air Remember how scared I get On this soul search Looking for answers In an undefined universe. -Darlene Chavarria