Published September 1, 2022
by Elizabeth Anna Hanai
(Mwanza, Tanzania)
She survived.
The pain, hurt, thirst.
Thorns pierced her heart and she bled.
She cried herself to sleep.
Snuggled herself in an empty corner, felt the wall being cold.
She lost it before she even had it.
Devastated, broken, trying to catch her breath.
Every morning she wakes, her chest burns from within,
Short of breath, yet,
She's breathing.
She looks at how far she's come.
She's had reasons to give it all up, but,
She still stands up.
She's surviving.
Biography
Elizabeth Anna Hanai is a Tanzanian medical student and a self-taught author and poet.
During her first secondary school years she met a friend that inspired her to write and she hasn't stopped since.
Her work draws from feelings of fear, heartbreak, and love, and addresses themes of self-love, courage, strength, and feminism.
This poem is included in Poetry World #4, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in Africa Poetry Magazine:
A Farmer's Song
by Ritah Tumushabe
Africa Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
- Visit the main Wax Poetry and Art Submissions Page to see all opportunities.
- Visit the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
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