Real Strength

11 February 2026

https://poems.culturing.net/2026/02/real-strength/

Do you see now? The girl who once misunderstood
the lascivious glares of men, the cruel jokes and vulgar gestures,
who did not know that these things were not done in sport
but grow out of the ugly, urgent need for ugly, urgent souls to make manifest
their ugliness, exposing the darkness within. Has this girl
been replaced by one who sees clearly herself and her place in a world
run by wolves? This is no place for innocence. Oh,
she would like to grow up...will it cost her
herself? She would be a prized commodity in some circles,
at least until her innocence dies. Is there another way?
Yes and no. The world is what it is, and mankind is too.
She would find in herself a response to the degradation,
the ugliest sweetness, the darkest love. It would scare her, and thrill her,
and ultimately leave her unsatisfied. But never again would she trust
so willingly, never again give her heart without proper conditions.
What are those conditions? Respect, first and foremost, for darkness
and its place in our lives. For the evils above are mere phony expressions
of energies that animate all of us, powering human endeavors
and making us want to live. To kill those energies would kill us too.
But the suitable objects for dreams of desire or domination
are always within the context of social order, on which we depend.
Any creature that does not so depend can hardly deserve the name "human."
The darkness can neither be killed nor fully embraced, but it can
be integrated into a dance between light and shadow, a chiaroscuro
that gives men and women real strength.

--

Not only could you be made a slave, you could be made
to like it, to see yourself suited and suitable to degradation only
and nothing more. Something like this (though a pale imitation)
occurs in many failed loves. It is vital, beyond vital,
that you remain strong, that you love yourself,
that you care for your body and spirit, and simply refuse
any invitations to lower yourself below strength,
no matter the offer. It will not be easy,
but that is why it is worth it. Thereby you will prove
that you cannot be beaten down, that the power within you
is real and a force to be reckoned with.

--

But you also must offer only this same strength to others,
and not use your strength to deprive them of theirs. The fight
is to carve out a slice of the earth where your strength can shine
against darkness within and without, and in this fight you may find
some allies pursuing the same. But they will not allow you to lower them.
You will do better to let them be, because they will return the favor.
The wolves can be kept at bay, but only from this posture of strength.
No other posture has ever had any effect.