"I don’t know how to tell youThat IAm tiredOf talking.Bone-weary and wild-eyed—I am heavy in my..."

“I don’t know how to tell you

That I

Am tired

Of talking.

Bone-weary and wild-eyed—

I am heavy in my own skin.

.

What they don’t tell you

About standing up for what you believe in

Is that your feet will bruise

And your legs will ache.

You will go sleepless

And hungry.

You will find yourself wading

Knee-deep

Through judgment and disdain.

They will try to push you down in the waters

And you will be afraid to drown.

.

You will not open your mouth.

You will not let the water in.

You will spit the poison out.

.

Your body will be crippled

With a thousand phantom aches and pains

Broken hearts like broken bones.

Your throat will be raw from screaming, even

(especially)

When no one hears you.

You will keep standing

Even when you want nothing more

Than to lay down

And sleep.

.

There are bags under my eyes.

There is sorrow festering between my ribs.

There is rage in my mouth.

I am not your wilting, fair-weather flower.

I am the marble statue pulled up from the ground.

.

I will not be moved.”

- Foundations, by Ashe Vernon