I See You, But I Stand — New Poems

I feel your breath behind my back,
 A shadow trailing every track.
 You think you’ve carved me out in chalk—
 But I’m stone, and I still walk.
 You mark my doors, you watch me sleep,
 You sow the fear you plan to reap.
 But hear me now, and hear me well:
 I’ve built my roots—I will not quell.
 Your whispers tried to cage my mind,
 But I’ve been forged by storms, refined.
 I’m not the one you thought you’d break—
 I rise with every step I take.
 You circle ’round, you scrape and pry,
 But I won’t bow, and I won’t hide.
 This heartbeat drums a marching song—
 You picked the one who’s far too strong.
 I see you.
 I hear you.
 But I don’t fear you.
 I stand.
 So follow me through every street—
 But know my fire burns your feet.
 I carry every scar with pride.
 I am not prey. I am not a game.
 You won’t erase my voice, my name.
 You chase, you claw—but I am me.
 I see you.
 I hear you.

 But I don’t fear you.
 Your darkness died inside my blaze.
 I see you.
 But I stand.

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