DELICATE STRENGTH

She had a father who was less of a parent to them,
And who proved more of a sperm donor each day.
A father who valued domestic violence,
With the claim of marriage discipline.
A father who disowned her mother,
And never approved of her sister’s conception.
A father who saw his kids as sex tools,
And their rejection of his advances as disrespect.

She had a mother, who regretted their births daily,
And never failed to remind them of it.
Who taught them to believe they were failed abortions,
That they were the reasons she could not achieve her dreams.
A mother who could not fight their father,
Who was weak in every aspect, and couldn’t defend them.
A mother who lashed out on them all time,
Who regularly branded them with new scars.

She had a sister, who was just as messed as the rest,
But who was scared of the place they called home.
Who enjoyed breaking others’ homes,
In the name of universal pain and not just hers.
Who sought greener pastures in married men’s beds,
Despite her little age of fifteen, in the name of tomorrow.
Who partied real hard, for the sake of forgetting home.
Who auctioned her innocence for a million dollars,
Forgetting all the risks that came with it.

She was supposed to be another child in the family,
But she watched her childhood drown in responsibilities,
And grew into an adult with no memories of normal.
She was supposed to be the third of the flock,
But her refusal to join the rest in their irresponsibility,
Won her the ‘black sheep of the family’ title.
She was supposed to be the strength of her family,
But they dragged her down and it was hard rising again.

So she pushed herself harder and earned scholarships.
She had every sponsor competing for her,
For she was a good case of the value of determination,
The strength that lay within every trashed livelihood.
With her parents a lost cause, she fought for her sister,
For a good future and proper education.
It was very hard with her sister being a sex addict,
And the high costs of rehabilitation.
Her patience ran thin, and for moments her steps faltered,
But she knew treading on thin ice was not easy.

Eventually she rose despite the tough challenges,
And became the one woman envied by all.
The woman that every girl wanted to grow into,
That every man desired in all aspects.
The woman whose name became a household name,
Who had everyone wishing they had sisters like her.
The one woman who represented her country,
And was respected by the critics and the world.