When The Thunder Strikes

They say my win was bought, that privilege carried me where effort never could. They whisper of bribes and favors, as if my hands were empty of work, as if my heart never strained. They did not see how I emptied myself to be enough, how I shrank my needs, how I starved parts of me just to survive their standards.

They only saw the finish line, not the miles carved into my spirit. Now their voices sit beside my head, turning certainty into doubt. I look at myself and wonder- If they don't believe in me, should I? If they deny my work, was it ever real?

Beneath the noise, I held onto a quiet truth, that he believed in me. I let it steady my trembling heart, let it quiet the doubts that screamed inside. But in the end, it was only the echo of my own hope, and I was left holding it alone.

🤍 softlyhue