Cursed Gift

Forged by circumstances deplorable
Struggling through tears and pain
In retrospect it is the sole upside
Offsetting scars that forever remain

Happily it rests deep within
Surfaces only by necessity
A cursed gift earned not given
Shoulders heavy with responsibility

Others choose shelter and protection
Leading lives of ignorance and inadequacy
Avoiding the road of arduous struggle
That fights against their revered complacency

Do not mistake it for conceit or arrogance
That others use to disguise their deficit
This only serves to mock the hurt
And character it took to overcome it

- Stephanie Lau