My name is Woman
I am strong
I make my own choices
I follow my own path
I pursue my dreams
I reach for the stars
I have power
I have purpose
I love
I hope
I cherish the present
I anticipate the future
My name is Victim
I am helpless
I have no dreams
I can’t see the stars
I am weak
I am defeated
I have no choices
I have only pain
I am numb
I am without hope
I cry
I ache
I hurt for the present
I see no future
My name is Sorrow
I have pain
I live in darkness
I walk alone
I fear all things
I am timid
I am ugly
I am repulsed by my memories
I am paralyzed by my thoughts
I pray for relief
I receive no reply
My name is Burden
I keep my secret
I have no one who will share it
I walk alone
I must not tell
I bear it unaided
I have no choice
I bow beneath it
I fall
I break
I long for relief
I have forgotten where to look
My name is Impostor
I smile
I laugh
I lift others up
I care for my family
I am cheerful
I make others laugh
I answer “I’m fine”
I am dying inside
I cry
I mourn
I think wicked things
I hesitate to pray
I can’t trust others
I don’t trust myself
My name is Emptiness
I have no love
I have no hate
I have no feelings, no dreams, no desires
I am numb
I never smile
I seldom cry
I wake each day to nothingness
I rest each night in the barrenness of my soul
My name is Heartache
I cry for the aloneness
I ache from the void
I grieve for the stolen memories
I mourn the loss of my joy
I long to be happy
I feel only sadness, emptiness, pain
I reach for the things that were taken
I cannot touch them
I stumble over the ruins of my life
My name is Survivor
I take control of my life
I fight to overcome
I reclaim my power
I see progress, change, growth
I honor the process
I am not a victim
I laugh and smile
I cry and weep
I welcome the return of my feelings
I begin to trust myself again
I reach out timidly to others
I work and learn and mourn and rejoice
My name is Lori
I am strong
I have choices
I follow a different path
I pursue new dreams
I have power
I have purpose
I grieve the past
I work through it and move on
I still feel pain
I use it to help others
I use it to help myself
I learn to love again
I welcome the return of the little girl inside
I believe in God
I believe in ME!!
