I am a survivor (a poem)

I’m a survivor
A warrior who has been beaten down
Battered and broken
And still risen up
And fought my demons.
I am a survivor
A child who faced the evil of abuse
Shattered and stripped
Of any notion of
Innocence or safety.
I am a survivor
When my brain refused to function
Psychotic and schizophrenic
Living in the unreality
Of my own mind.
I am a survivor
Of the violence of young boys
Raped and ridiculed
Left ashamed of
My own body and being.
I am a survivor
Of the violence of a married man
Abused and abandoned
Not knowing if I
Was worthy of love.
I am a survivor
Of the abuse I did to myself
Drunk and disorderly
Trying to die
To the pain inside.
I am a survivor
Of chronic pain everyday
In body and brain
Wanting it to end
For pain to stop.
I am a survivor.
I warrior who is still standing
Resilient and resigned
Life is has been so hard
But by God
I am a survivor.