Analysis of Surviving

Why do people always want to know what I’m doing with my life or where I’m living?  
     They say that I don’t know what I want to do and that my life is a waste; I better figure it out  soon.
Well, this is what I say:

Have you ever walked in my shoes, been loved and been hated?
    Were you born to my mother, and did you suffer what I suffered on a daily?
    Were you burned by fire? Did you see the flame?
    Were you scorned by your peers?
I tell you what, it hurts just the same.
    Just one more mental anguish to overcome ALONE!
    Were you violated as a child by those who didn’t know you and those who did?
    Did you fight for love and for life even though you were just a kid?
    Did you think of suicide although you were too young to comprehend the cause and effect?
    Did you understand its severity and what it really meant?
    Did you have no self-esteem, because no one ever told you what it was?
    Did you wander the streets aimlessly, lost and confused through all the drama and the drugs?
    You see, I am that I am and I will continue to do what I do…

Searching for a higher power, to help get me through
   each day
Understanding who I am, and that each night I have to
   pray
Realizing the realities of a harsh world
Visualizing a better future
Increasing my chances for success, by gaining more
   knowledge with an open mind  
Venerate my elders, respect them, and honor them
Imperfect, understanding that I am
Never giving up on myself, or those I love
Guiding those that I can

So, you want to know what I’m doing in my life,

I Am Surviving!

By: Shannon M. Jenkins
Date: May 10, 2000