When I discovered my strength

No one told me that the hardest moments are what forge the strongest souls.

I used to think that loneliness was defeat,
and that standing without support was a glaring sign of weakness,
until I found myself carrying the world alone... and not collapsing.

There is a strength we only discover when no one is left with us,
when we stand face to face with our fears,
our wounds,
and our inner voice we've never heard before.

And in that moment...
I knew I am not fragile,
nor fleeting in this life,
but a steadfast trunk through which the winds pass, yet their roots remain unbroken.

For strength is not shouting,
nor muscles or noise.
Strength is a calm heart that rises each time as if every fall was merely a passing phase.

And today...
I don't seek someone to carry me,
but someone who understands me,
for I have finally learned how to carry myself.

Photo from canva