The Poetic Lift

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“Still I Rise, Still I Build”

They told me
wait your turn
as if survival had a queue,
as if pain came with a ticket number
and hope was something you applied for online.

But adversity doesn’t knock.
It kicks the door in at 3 a.m.,
sits on your chest,
and asks you who you think you are.

I used to think strength looked loud.
Like shouting.
Like winning.
Like proving something.

But strength…
strength is quieter than that.

Strength is waking up
with a heart that’s tired of being brave
and choosing to try anyway.

It’s rebuilding with trembling hands.
It’s planting seeds in soil
that has failed you before
and trusting the rain won’t drown them this time.

I’ve been bent.
Misunderstood.
Labeled too much and not enough
in the same breath.

I’ve carried shame that wasn’t mine
and lessons that cost me people I loved.

But hear this—

I am not broken.
I am becoming.

Every scar is a sentence
in a story that refused to end early.
Every setback is proof
that I survived something
that tried to make me small.

Hope doesn’t always look like light.
Sometimes hope looks like staying.
Like logging back in.
Like pressing publish
even when your voice shakes.

Hope is whispering
one more step
when the world screams
give up.

So if today all you did
was breathe through the weight—
that counts.

If you started again for the fifth time—
that counts.

If you’re standing in the middle of uncertainty
with nothing but faith and a pulse—
that counts.

Because perseverance isn’t perfection.
It’s persistence with bruises.

And I’m still here.
Still building.
Still believing.

Not because it’s easy—
but because my story deserves
to be finished.

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© 2025-2026 Kamika PM. All Rights Reserved.This spoken word piece and all accompanying content are the original work of Kamika Peart-Manning.No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, distributed, performed, recorded, adapted, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means—whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission from the author.Unauthorised use, reproduction, or distribution of this material is strictly prohibited and may result in legal action.For licensing, permissions, collaborations, or authorised use, please contact the author directly via this website.