You must have heard this so many times
“You can move mountains with your strength”
And then you look at yourself in the mirror
You look into your eyes
And see that emptiness
A sense of defeat
A tired soul is all that is left
And you think to yourself “how much longer?”
“How many more times?”
You do not recognize this hope
This part of you holding on
Because you keep repeating it to yourself
Like a mantra
A chant
An anthem
A prayer
Like words stuck in your head
You keep repeating
Hold on.
Hold on.
Hold on.
Until you can hear it in the echoes
Reverberating back to you
Yet you question this hope
This afterthought
Because after all is said and done
You try telling yourself what you know
What you hear around you,
All these talks and advices, motivation, and positivity around you
But some days it just does not feel enough
It does not feel enough to tell yourself
To make yourself believe these things
When hope is so hard to hold on to.

On those days
As you stand there in the face of adversity
Your feet planted firmly on the ground
Your eyes focused
Your mind with thoughts running through it
Telling you to run as well
Telling you that you cannot get through this
Telling you that you aren’t enough
Not strong enough
Not patient enough
Just not enough
But when these thoughts engulf you
Would you be kind enough to yourself?
To look back,
To look back and see where you are right now
To remind yourself
That you have been through everything
Every single thing
That you thought you wouldn’t get through
That you thought would drown you into these depths
Yet you are here
You are still here.
Remind yourself that it has to get better
It has to, there is no other way
You have seen that proof with your own eyes
The way you have grown
The way you have adapted.

Listen to me,
The oceans could rise, and you will surf through the waves
The mountains will stand tall, and you will scale their heights
The world will be unkind, and you will continue to be kind to yourself.
After all, what is resilience if not getting up after being trapped in the ruins?

About the Poet 

Sameeha Naaz, is a 3rd Year student currently studying Psychology with Counselling Skills at Middlesex University, Dubai.