Meant to Be

She is one of the strongest women I know.
She fights life head-on, going to toe-to-toe.
The hard experiences from her past she embraces
Like the scars left on her heart from remembered faces
In the back of her mind, they are forever there
Reminders of life and how sometimes it’s unfair
 
She was only three  
When she was first kissed – inappropriately
She was merely eight
When she was molested – but just wait
She was barely fifteen
Drunk and pinned to the bathroom floor (by a monster unforeseen)
When she was seventeen
She fought against a man in a dark room and screamed
 
Those experiences, however, weren’t enough to break her soul.
She chose to rise back from the dead and take utmost control.
And the other unmentioned heartbreaks that life dealt her way?
She held close to her heart, then felt the pain slowly fade with each day.
 
At nineteen, womanhood officially crowned her the title
She became a wife and a mother and all things vital
In the equation of living a good life of success
Surviving on hope, prayers, and faithfulness
 
Then one marriage failed when his infidelity won
When she discovered he was the smoking gun
Then alone once more, with a child in tow
She decided that the pain was helping her grow.
She appreciated the experience as preparation for the next.  
And hoped someone would give her ex the herpes simplex.  
 
So she worked two jobs to provide for one.
Her child came first, a new life had begun.
I watched her rise to the top once again.
Reeling strength from the pain that was hidden within.
It seems to be her motto, her unique way of getting by.
Selflessly loving and quietly letting go is her battle cry.
 
There were many more men who came after
Spellbound by her beauty and her laughter
Enthralled by her confident but kind demeanor  
Never knowing that they’d never actually seen her
Her eyes tell a story but mostly it’s theirs
Wrapped up in her nurturing side that cares
 
So by no surprise, I knew she’d try again.
Daydreams become reality every now and then.
So she let one more inside that would break her heart
One that would test her will and tear her apart
 
He was good-looking with captivating charms
She felt safe and secure when wrapped in his arms
He allowed her to think of a future, with more than just two
And so the biggest lesson of her life she would soon go through.
 
It took years for her to realize the prisoner she’d become
Slowly dissipating her light inside to living life being numb
Everyone else had always seen it from the outside looking in
A marriage built on proverbial lies and filthy, secret sin
 
Mildly speaking, her knight in shining armor was a sadist  
Though in the beginning, she thought he was the greatest
He played narcissistic games but she was unaware
Her empathetic qualities just urged her to care
 
She accepted all the affairs as faults of her own
His emotional withdrawals she started to condone.
His covert criticisms that he mixed with concern
Started paving the way for her every turn.
 
The more she tried to be perfect, the more she fell short
The harder she tried, the more she lost his support
Eventually, hope faded and loyalty was the only string
Held together by a new child and her wedding ring.
 
More years went by as she looked back on her life
A series of unfortunate events and scattered strife
Then she looked in the mirror of her dirty makeup compact
Remembered who she was and decided to counteract
 
A plan was made, hope restored in her heart.
She started living for herself, another fresh start.
All the shortcomings that life had gifted
Became speckles of dust as her mind thoughtfully shifted
 
A light was restored, she was thankful to be alive.
Any haunting thoughts her mind would archive.
She’s one of the happiest, most thoughtful persons I’ve seen.
She’s gone to hell and back but still behaves like a queen.
 
I have admired her my whole life from a distance
Watching her snub the path of least resistance
There is a fierceness in her sweet veracity
As I become who I am meant to be.