Still Shining

Don’t fit me in a box that you decide

I’m more than just the labels you provide

“Single mom,” whispered like a scar

But I shine on, unchanged, the same bright star

I’m laughter spilling down familiar lanes

The friend you knew, my spirit still remains

I sip my coffee and listen just the same

My heart and humour never lost their flame

Your gaze has frozen somewhere in the past

Expectations never shifting, kindness fading fast

But I deserve respect that never bends

And care that’s constant, from supposed friends

So see me now, my soul, my spark, my fight

Don’t let my journey dim your sense of right

For though my path is new, I’m still the one

Who faces each day strong, her spirit never undone