you think you are so much stronger than me because the earth quivers beneath your feet and your voice shakes the rain from the trees, but yo

*Title by K.C.

and that is why people like you will never win. because people like you only see the power in bloody knuckles and whiskey, rifles and leather. in dominating and being dominated, in humiliation. earn your stripes, they say, own the pain and take it like it's your birthright. drink that bitter regret like mother's milk, and don't you dare complain.

but i can tell you that there is power in kisses and tears, in longing and admitting, in standing up for the right thing even if you know you'll lose, power in warm coffee and spilled ink, in scratched-out poems

on the bathroom walls, in being afraid and knowing it, but walking into the ring with your head held high no matter how big or how fierce the lion is.

my adamance is so much more than you can ever understand.