"Survivors"

A poem by Terri Collins
I wrote this poem in 2001, in honor of sexual abuse and sexual assault survivors, while I was the manager of our local rape crisis center.
This poem, "Survivors," was published in
"Food for Thought, Recipes from the Heart," a cookbook that I and my advisory committee published in honor of survivors & those who serve them.  The poem was also published in the state solicitor's program brochures during victim awareness months 2001-2005, Georgia Military College's student handbook in 2004, and in the Valdosta Daily Times in 2001.

The poem is one that came from my heart and soul. It was inspired by survivors who attended my survivor support groups and how I could relate to them as a survivor myself.





"Survivors"
One by one they come in pain,
peace and refuge they hope to gain,
Oh how familiar are their stories
to me and all my past worries.

Tears and regrets, guilt and shame,
we've all been lost in mistaken self-blame.
We never "asked" to be raped or abused,
even though we have been accused.

We have carried the burden for many years,
carefully hiding the pain and the tears.
We have longed for serenity in our lives,
as we have diligently struggled to survive.

Through therapy, support groups, and friends
we have found our way to peace within.
No more secrets, no more shame,
we now know we were not to blame.

Through common bonds that we have known
from victims to survivors we have grown.
We will not only survive, but we will thrive
       thanks to those making a difference in our lives.      
  



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