Maya writes

I am the Phoenix

I am The Phoenix , born from flame and sky,
Rising through ashes where broken dreams lie.
The fire may test me, the storm may roar,
But every fall teaches me to rise once more.

I carry the light of a soul unafraid,
With wings shaped through battles the darkness once made.
I do not end where the burning begins
I rise, stronger each time, from the fire within.

Do not hold on to borrowed hearts,
do not build your home in passing arms,
do not silence your truth to be chosen,
and do not shrink your light to feel seen.

Walk fully, even when alone,
love deeply, but never halfway,
for what is meant for you will rise to meet you
whole, certain, and unafraid.

The Game

Life deals its cards like a clever game,
With shifting rules and a changing name.
We chase the wins, we fear the fall,
Yet none of these are truth at all.

For truth waits quiet beyond the frame,
Beyond the score, beyond the fame.
So while you play and move your piece,
Ask what you build that will not cease.

When the board is cleared and the game is through,
Only your truth will answer for you.

Where have the real men gone, we quietly ask the air,
For now we’re tied to boys who want comfort, not the care.
They ask for gentle hands, for patience when they fall,
But strength, respect, and honor seem the rarest traits of all.
Good manners feel like burdens, generosity a tale,
Chivalry sounds ancient, like a myth grown thin and pale.
Yet flowers and sweet gestures earn applause like something new
While the things that made a man once
few remember to do.

If doors close softly or too soon,
If plans fall out of perfect tune,
If anger rises, sharp and bright,
Or fear steps in to dim your light,
If timing shifts beyond your say,
Or something precious slips away
Each moment shaping what you’ll be,
Carves strength in quiet dignity.

Nothing lost is truly gone,
Nothing delayed is ever wrong.
What tests your heart, what feels unfair,
Is building courage hidden there.
For every shift and every bend
Is guiding you where paths extend
Not breaking you, but making room
For greater seasons still to bloom.

One day I’ll walk where the blue waves sway,
With salt in the air and my doubts far away.
No more chasing echoes that fade in the night,
No more dimming my fire to soften my light.
The tide doesn’t beg for the shore to stay
It leaves and returns in its own steady way.
And just like the ocean, so fearless and free,
My heart will find home where it’s meant to be.

One day, I’m sure, without question or plea,
Love will feel simple like breathing to me.
Not forced, not fragile, not borrowed or torn,
But warm as the hush of a calm summer morn.
I won’t have to search or convince or pretend,
What’s written for me will arrive in the end.
And there, in that peace, beneath open skies
My heart will belong… and so will I.

What’s meant for you won’t drift away,
it won’t be lost or led astray.
Through stormy nights and skies unsure,
it moves toward you, steady and pure.

Though now it feels so far from sight,
beyond your reach, beyond your fight,
Trust the path you cannot see
what’s meant for you will always be.

Not a Throne

I am not here to shrink or bow,
Or carry weight you won’t allow
Your hands to lift, your will to claim,
While love gets dressed in someone else’s name.

I won’t be backbone, shield, and flame,
While you take credit, title, frame.
A crown means nothing, loud or grand,
If I must build it with one hand.

A home is not a silent deal
One gives all, one gets to feel
Important, praised, and standing tall
While never holding up the wall.

Come with truth and come with spine,
With effort real not borrowed shine.
Love is not a seat above
It’s shoulder-to-shoulder work and love.

Love Needs Courage

Love is not the quiet exit,
not the silence dressed as peace.
It is not almost, not maybe,
not a heart that chooses ease.

Love shows up with shaking hands,
speaks the truth even afraid.
It risks the fall, the ache, the burn,
it does not hide, delay, or fade.

Cowardice calls waiting wisdom,
calls retreat a thoughtful pause,
but love steps forward, names its fear,
and still stands firm for what it wants.

Love is brave in all its forms
in staying, leaving, saying “no.”
It honors hearts by being clear,
by choosing real over slow.

So if you loved me, you would know:
love does not disappear.
It looks you in the eyes and says,
“I’m here.”

The Man

My favorite color is red,
and my man is strength, not dread.
He speaks with truth, his steps are clear,
he leads with courage, never fear.
He stands his ground in every fight,
yet holds me close with gentle might.
A touch of jealousy he shows with care
not too much, just enough to say I’m there.

Let Them Believe Their Story

I used to beg for honesty,
for truth instead of blame.
While they rewrote our history
and tarnished my good name.

They twisted every memory,
made fiction out of fact
but lies are made of silence,
and silence pushes back.

I’m done defending innocence,
done matching every attack.
Peace is worth the distance,
and I’m not looking back.

I won’t defend my name,
or chase what they lack.
Let them keep their story
I’m busy taking mine back.