I AM STRONG!

“Revenge is surviving, getting out, and being a better person than you were, and breaking the cycle.” — Kristy Green

The prompt from “Poets and Storytellers United” this week is to write something inspired by the phrase “Survive Out of Spite”.  An internet friend made me aware of the MEND project, which supports abusive relationship victims and helps them survive and heal by leaving the abuser and beginning anew, healing themselves in the process. My poem is inspired by this.

I am Strong!

You used me, you hurt me,
You tried to subvert me.
You thought my meekness
Was my great weakness…

I loved you and you fooled me
Your promises, all false and hollow;
I was so tender and you ruled me
You ordered and I had to follow…

Enough, I say! Enough’s enough!
I don’t deserve to have it rough.
Your selfish ways are over,
I’m no longer a pushover…
I am strong! So strong!
You’re in the wrong,
Between us it’s all over.

You cheated, you deceived me,
You lied, and belittled me.
You laughed and crippled me,
If only you believed me…

I gave you all I had, and more,
You took it all and wasted it.
My sweetness was not tasted,
Your heartless ways no more…

Enough, I say! Enough’s enough!
I don’t deserve to have it rough.
Your selfish ways are over,
I’m no longer a pushover…
I am strong! So strong!
You’re in the wrong,
Between us it’s all over.

The poem is set to music again, and you can find all my music in my “Otidorchestre” channel or listen to it on YouTube,  Spotify,  Amazon, Deezer, Flo, Pandora, and other music sharing sites.

PS: Some of you have said that the song does not appear at the link sites. Type: "Otidorchestre" and do a search. Sometimes there is a slight delay from my posting it to its publication at the music sharing sites. Generally YouTube is the most efficient.

KIDS

“I think it's important for us as a society to remember that the youth within juvenile justice systems are, most of the time, youths who simply haven't had the right mentors and supporters around them - because of circumstances beyond their control.” - Q'orianka Kilcher

The New What’s Going On blog is prompting about “Being Human”. My take on this theme has already been written about in an old post of mine on this blog and you may read it if you are interested here. This present post is looking at the alarming surge of childhood violence that is sweeping the world at the moment. It is a terrible thing to see young children and teenagers being robbed of there normal carefree, growing up phase and being plunged into a violent adult world of crime, drugs, bullying, sex offences and even death.

My poem here references two biblical passages: “O Absalom, my son, my son!” is a quote from 2 Samuel 18:33, which is King David's anguished lament upon hearing of his son Absalom's death. The second is the passage from Judges 11:35 “Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low…”, describing Jephthah's distress upon seeing his daughter. She was the first to come out of his house after his victory. Jephthah tore his clothes and expressed despair, realising his vow to sacrifice the first living thing from his house meant his only daughter… 

Kids

Kids should play, and learn and grow —
Kids should be fed, and loved; and know
The future can be theirs to own,
If they stay kids until they’ve grown.

No guns, no force, no knives for kids
Nothing grown-up their age forbids;
Kids should be schooled and educated
Kids should be nurtured and not hated.

“O my son Absalom, my son,
My son Absalom!
Would I had died instead of you,
O Absalom, my son, my son!”

No stolen cars, no gangs, no chases
No dope, no midnight motor races!
Kids should be kids, and read and think
No drugs, no cigarettes, no drink…

Kids are to play with dolls, with toys
Kids beat their drums with joyful noise;
Not kill and maim and mindlessly attack
Not rape, not abuse, not fiercely wrack.

“Alas, my daughter!
You have brought me very low!
I have opened my mouth to the Lord,
and I cannot take back my vow…”

What world have we all made for kids?
The families, the schools that hit the skids?
Everyone’s guilty of childhood’s end!
Is it too late now our world to mend?

The poem is once again set to music, and you can find all my music in my “Otidorchestre” channel or listen to it on YouTube, Spotify,  Amazon, Deezer, Flo, Pandora, and other music sharing sites.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 506 - UFA, BASHKORTOSTAN

“It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be.” - Virgil

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Bashkortostan, officially the Republic of Bashkortostan, sometimes also called Bashkiria, is a republic of Russia between the Volga river and the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. The republic borders Perm Krai to the north, Sverdlovsk Oblast to the northeast, Chelyabinsk Oblast to the east, Orenburg Oblast to the south, Tatarstan to the west and Udmurtia to the northwest. It covers 143,600 square kilometres. It is the seventh-most populous federal subject in Russia and the most populous republic.

Its capital and largest city is Ufa. As of 2025, it has a population of 4,046,094. Bashkortostan was established on 28 November [O.S. 15 November] 1917. On 20 March 1919, it was transformed into the Bashkir ASSR, the first autonomous republic in the Russian SFSR. On 11 October 1990, it adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty. In the Constitution of Bashkortostan and Constitution of Russia, Bashkortostan is defined as a state.

The name "Bashkortostan" derives from the name of the Bashkir ethnic group. While the endonym having various theories on its meaning, the most prominent is being a combination of Turkic words baş, meaning 'head', 'chief', 'main', 'principal' and qurt meaning 'wolf' (one of the animals regarded as sacred to Turkic peoples); the suffix -stan is Persian, commonly used for many Eurasian territorial names. Bashkirs speak the Bashkir language, which belongs to the Kipchak branch of the Turkic language group.

The famous statue of the rider in Ufa is the Monument to Salavat Yulaev.  Salavat Yulayev ia a Bashkir national hero, who fought for the independence of his homeland. The monument is a bronze sculpture on a reinforced concrete pedestal, lined with granite, and is located on the bank of the Belaya River.

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