Poem - Defiant Joy, Poetess - Omatee Ann Marie Hansraj (Trinidad and Tobago)

Defiant Joy

Omatee Ann Marie Hansraj (Trinidad and Tobago)

I stand amidst the trials of time

A warrior worn, yet still I shine

Cancer's flames I've faced and beat

Myasthenia's grasp, a constant feat

Respiratory whispers, a fragile sigh

Prognosis poor, yet I won't ask why

I've gathered strength, endurance born

Of every struggle, every dawn

Birthdays mark the passage, year by year

A celebration, despite the fear

I see it as a privilege, a gift to live

To experience life, and all it gives

In the face of illness, I find my voice

A declaration of life, a joyful choice

I am more than my diagnosis, I claim

I am worthy, I am alive, I am not tamed

In a world that measures value, I defy

The notion that worth is tied to what's left to try

I celebrate life, in all its forms

A radical affirmation, a defiant storm

I am the storm, the fire, the light

A soul that burns, a heart that beats with might

I'll cherish every moment, every breath

And find the joy, in life's fragile depth.

©®Omatee Ann Marie Hansraj 

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