Rising Beyond Shadows

They pointed, laughed, and whispered low,

At the sunlight that made my skin glow.

Words like arrows, sharp and cold,

Trying to shape a story I won’t be told.

In classrooms, on streets, their shadows followed,

Every glance, every snicker, my spirit hollowed.

They saw only what they wished to see,

Not the girl I am, wild and free.

But in my mind, another world takes flight,

Where lessons and books are my guiding light.

English words build bridges to distant lands,

And knowledge grows under my own hands.

The color of my skin, a target for their spite,

Cannot dim my dreams or steal my right.

I choose pages over pain, letters over fear,

And every new word whispers: “You are here.”

They tried to claim my mind, my voice, my day,

But I rewrote the rules, found my own way.

Mathematics, languages, stories untold,

These are the treasures I fiercely hold.

No sneer, no shove, no cruel jest,

Can quiet the fire that burns in my chest.

For I am not defined by those who harm,

But by every lesson, every skill, every charm.

So let them whisper, let them glare,

I walk my path with strength to spare.

The world I build is mine to see,

And in it, I am truly free.