INSPIRATIONAL: "FORGED IN IRON, BROKEN AT THE CORE" BY S.A. AYINMODE

She arrived like morning light,

brilliant, gifted, impossible to ignore,

loved by family, friends,

and strangers who met her once

and remembered her always.

Ambition lived in her footsteps,

creativity flowed from her hands;

she built beauty out of pressure,

turned ideas into trophies,

and wore achievements like armor.

But iron is forged in fire.

Disappointment learned her name.

Harassment bruised her silence.

Heartbreak kept returning

with different faces.

Still, she created.

Still, she rose.

Still, she smiled,

even when the core cracked quietly.

She listens only to echoes she enjoys;

truth, when it disagrees, becomes an enemy.

Correction feels like betrayal,

and wisdom sounds like war.

Yet family stands careful with honesty,

because when up becomes down,

they will still be the ones she runs to.

Ẹni nì í tẹ́ni, ẹ̀kísà ni tàtà n;

blood bends, but it does not break.

She rushes into love

with hope racing ahead of discernment,

only to meet the other side of affection....

Hummm......absence, deceit, imbalance.

So money becomes safer than promises,

currency more loyal than hearts.

But not all that glitters is gold,

and not all silence is peace.

Love is sweetest, strongest,

when a man loves deeper at the beginning,

carries it through the peak,

and guards it with consistency.

Do not drive away genuine love

with insults, arrogance,

or arguments measured only in money.

Let respect season the home.

Let humility learn to cook patience.

Submission is not weakness;

it is wisdom choosing harmony.

Never look down on a man with a rising tomorrow;

the future has surprised greater eyes than yours.

Pray, commit, focus your heart wisely;

too many love paths at once

often lead away from fulfillment.

She is iron still;

strong, admired, unstoppable.

But healing begins when iron listens,

when strength bows to truth,

and ambition learns rest.

For in the end, what will be, will be.

Yet, what becomes is shaped by what she chooses to hear, to honor and to hold.

©️ Stephen Ayodele Ayinmode

-Nigeria

This poem is a powerful and emotive piece that explores themes of resilience, strength, and self-discovery, particularly for women. It's a reflective and advisory poem that draws on imagery and metaphor to convey the message of overcoming adversity and finding inner strength. The poem's tone is motivational, with a focus on empowerment and personal growth. The use of Yoruba proverbs and philosophical insights adds depth and cultural nuance to the poem's themes.