Vision in Poetry

It is a constant struggle to write from one’s vision
when there are so many people who oppose what one has to say.
It is a constant struggle to be true to one’s vision,
to be true to one’s self over a lifetime of writing.

It is a constant struggle
to be strong, strong in one’s vision,
not give up, not surrender, not lose one’s vision.
 
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I wrote the above on staying strong, not being deterred from one's poetic vision, after experiencing how pernicious this can be, when even people you thought were your friends end up not being friends at all...