She carries her strength in her bitterness,
Overdrawn on love;
The projection of all that’s outside through her voice and attitude
Is her Triumph.
Being strong, however, comes from within,
And burning the flame with a view to the Outside
Starves the Within of oxygen;
Her great pretence devours her.
Where’s all that strength now?
Cancer invaded her bones;
The wish to be Strong to the outside world
Sapped her vitality.
I still live;
She’s dead;
And her great dream, to be carried through by force of will
And determination
Died with her.
Pretend not; be as you are; fail, and worry not;
The future can’t be forced.
This poem describes a tense, stressed-out, driven woman, an over-achiever who lived her life according to the values of the outside world and who was going to achieve her dream through sheer willpower.
But life doesn’t work like that; willpower has its place, but you also need skill, subtlety and lightness to go with it.
