A fence was built before me- <br />Its gate was locked- I never had the key to that lock- <br />When I tried to climb that fence-I fell to the ground. <br />A road was paved for me to follow, however <br />I never knew its destination. <br />Rain filled a hollow crater, forming a lake <br />I dared not step into it, as a sign nearby read <br />“Don’t go in the water.” <br />This world was built for me to live in- although <br />Somehow I was always a foreigner-alive only inside the world of my dreams. <br />Yesterday I built my own fence and for the moment <br />Left its gate unlocked. <br />I paved my own road, which leads to places <br />I have always wanted to see. <br />A pond nearby is crystal clear, so clear I can see my reflection, <br />And on this day, I have liked what I see. <br />I can swim across that clean and clear pond, <br />And I walk through the gate; I lock it behind me, <br />To travel down that newly paved road <br />That leads to my own small world- that land of paradise, <br />That place where I feel at home after many years of <br />Being trapped inside places of misfortune and <br />I am proud to wear the key to that lock on a chain about my neck- <br />The people who tried so hard to contain me and <br />Mold into someone I could never be, are dead and gone forever- <br />As loving as these people could be we are always at war, <br />As if I were being controlled and manipulated <br />Day and night for countless years. <br />As I walk down that road paved for me alone- <br />I fondle the key to that lock about my neck and burst into song- <br />Alone, but content and satisfied to have found myself, <br />Rising to a new but welcome moment of pride-because <br />I have found myself in control of my own destiny- <br />I am a survivor in a place I have created myself and for myself alone-<br /><br />Claudia Krizay<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-am-a-survivor-2/
