Be strong...

The strong, they say, have an easier way, No tears they shed, no wounds they feel; They walk their path, come what may, No beggar's plea for love reveal. ___ Broad shoulders stand, no envy's brand Oppresses them with bitter sting; Life's easier, so at command, But strength is a thing you must bring. ___ The strong, unweeping, hold so tight, Yet pillows catch their nightly pain, A grinding grief in fading light, Where secret sobs their souls restrain. ___ And often, oh, so very deep, They bleed with heart and flesh and soul, Not born of joy, such oaths to keep, But fear's cold grip takes cruel control. ___ That bitter fear, like fight's faint dread, Drives sleep away, a will of steel; Strength builds what's sacred in its stead, Against cruel fate, and woes reveal. ___ To be strong is not heartless, cold, and bare, To never grieve, or trust, or quail, But tread a path beyond compare, And in that journey, never fail. ___ Easier the strong? Tales spun so fine! A double weight they bear with grace; For self, and those who love the line, The pull of steel, and love's embrace. ___ True strength is not in scorn's disdain, For fragile souls who cannot rise, But in the hand that lifts again, A spark of light in saddened eyes.