A little pin
A little pain
It always follows me
Wherever I go

One day
One month
One year
From one place to another
It does not matter if I like it or not
It is always there inside of me

When I cannot pronounce a word
Pain fills my tongue
When I cannot understand what people say to me
Pain fills my ears
When I do not understand the world around me
Pain fills my heart

It stings
Waking me in the dark
I struggle and fight
Breaking through
From inside and outside
I strive to reach the light

Year after year
I push through all the pain
It comes and goes
Disappears and returns
At last
Pins and pain melt into one
Becoming
My strength

A poem by Gu Xiong, 2017.