Surviving Is No Small Feat

For My Sistah on Her College Graduation Day, Graduating at 21yrs-old with a year-old Baby

By Shayna SheNess Israel

 

It is no small feat

to climb a mountain

whether it be rock

or adversity

& survive

Survival is not

 a gift but a

fought will--

the child of needed action

& undaunted courage

Above a clouded sky

you emerge

on a precipice

greeting the crowd

of cheerers & naysayers

well-wishers & witnesses

mostly greeting

the sun ahead

Looking down

before you

you say

“it is good”

                ---

’87 a seed of light

is born

in a Brooklyn hospital room

young eyes make out

a scene of rush & bustle

& glimpses into a future

of work & choices--

responsibility

unfalteringly

& with a child’s bravery

                ---

It is no small feat

to dream & see it thru

It is your time to rest

to look upon your works

& see that they are good

to be in awe of sheer drive & determination

This is your time to rest

reflect, recharge

before the new wave

Take it

It is your earnings

your reward

In quest for knowledge

countless hours were spent

reading articles

typing papers

late night at libraries

thinking up outlines

asking questions

penning problems to the page

Who would’ve thought

that voyage

would begin with cutting entries

out of encyclopedias

& pasting them to school reports

or spelling essay “S A”

or philosophizing with

a big-gutted sistah

under Snow White 

& Cinderella sheets

looking out past

fairytale curtains

to a truth--

a future

once again to be shared with

that big-gutted sistah

   ---

It is no small feat

to shake hell from your heels

& rise to a cooler day

above the clouds

with a baby at your hip

& violence at your door

a year shy of the average 


             

“I have a vision,” you say

“I will see it thru.” You do

Now a tall, statuesque

womyn, daughter

sistah, mother

standing cap & gown

in all your glory

Once a skinny, little girl

with a shiny forehead

 & hands clasped on your lap

in a frilly dress

in front of a Little Mermaid background

smiling at your kindergarten accomplishments

To see what

two pictures would signify

to your daughter:

1.       Possibility is eminent

2.       Dreams do come true

3.       Hardship is not long lasting

4.       & Belief is key

Today

I am proud

This is your day

this is no small feat

Some do not make it to the otherside

mounting the insurmountable

sailing on uncertainty

walking thru the wild

The gauntlet

that was your childhood

was not without its scars

( Such a brazen soul! )

The world will attempt

to snuff out that kind of beauty

It is your fortitude

& godly compass

that has seen you thru

kept you

steering you

from calamity

Survival is no small feat

there are choices

on this Earth

fate is not determined

by a wish

To live & refuse to fail

is one of the greatest testaments to

a god within us all

The water

when it collides

against rock

does not stop

but finds

another way

This, too, is a godly act

                ---

Today

I am proud

& honored to share

this moment

of triumph

with you

I have seen the wear

the tides have exacted

on your shores

& I have seen

you build them back

My only advice

is to rest

the seasons change quickly

& our moments are precious

Celebrate!

although, this is not

what we’ve been used to

Rest & celebration

are ways to

honor yourself

& your deeds

It is time to turn

toward an inward eye

There are crystals there

with your reward

© Copyright 2009 January 22