11 Poems About Resilience & Overcoming Obstacles
They say life only gives you what you can handle. Resilience is a result of being dealt difficult cards, time and time again, while being willing to rise through great amounts of pain. Resilience has been etched on my skin, through the scars of over a decade of chronic illness & physical pain. However, through this experience, I have learnt that I am now truly capable of anything.
People often think that resilience is about climbing mountains & tackling extreme challenges. Whilst resilience can be found here, its true roots lie in chopping wood and carrying water – enduring a slow kind of torture.
Often, the most resilient people in life are not those who shout loudly, but are those who walk lightly and suffer quietly. If you are one of these people, carrying a heavy weight, day in and day out, I see you, I feel you, I pray for you.
May this collection of poetry about resilience gift you the strength you need and the wisdom you seek to survive another day.
Poetry About Resilience
1. Wreckage - nikita Gill
There is nothing beautiful
about the wreckage of a human being.
There is nothing pretty
about damage,
about pain,
about heartache.
What is beautiful is
their strength,
their resilience,
their fortitude
as they display an ocean of courage
when they pick through the wreckage of their life
to build something beautiful brand new,
against every odd
that is stacked against them.
poem by – Nikita Gill
2. Resilience - Mandi Lynne
a strength so innocent and true
that lies deep inside of you
a place you never thought you’d reach
but the ultimate lesson it would teach
tragic unfortunate things that happened to thee
made you open your eyes so you could finally see
the value of your life and your beautiful worth
a love and hope that will forever fill our earth
because now your magic can be shared with many
and help the weary of whose burdens are heavy
to overcome the painful troubles they face
all because you fought with strength, resilience and
everlasting grace.
poem by – Mandi Lynne
3. The Purple Thistle Flower - Jadine Lydia
The thorns they prickle,
a needle to her skin.
Persistent in their nature,
they sting again and again.
Her blood thickens,
she feels that there’s no hope,
as she settles for another day,
on the same old prickly road.
Until, one day,
she stops to sift and sigh.
And a purple thistle flower
gently catches her eye.
Amongst the petty prickles,
and the pinpoint stings,
she realises that all hardship,
must give birth to beautiful things.
For this little flower,
has no soil or rain.
Only its tiny self,
in big, old barren terrain.
And yet, it flowers,
and emanates a glow,
and in this sigh of a breath,
she knew it to be so.
No matter how many cuts,
bruises or prickly stings,
her light would always shine,
above all of these things.
extract from – ‘And So She Chose’
4. THE Light – Jadine Lydia
you may have spent
your whole life searching,
looking for the light.
but perhaps it’s the darkness
that teaches you to find,
the bridge between heaven,
and the roots of the earth,
where stars and soil mingle
and unknown realities merge.
where overarching love
meets existential pain,
and through love and loss
and grief and birth
life begins again.
original poem – @jadinelydia
5. Resilience – Alex Elle
look at you.
still standing
after being
knocked down
and thrown out.
look at you.
still growing
after being
picked and plucked
and prodded out of
your home.
look at you.
still dancing
and singing
after being
defeated and
disassembled.
look at you, love.
still here and hopeful
after it all.
poem by – Alex Elle
6. HER VOYAGE – Jadine Lydia
She knew, there was
only one way out.
Not over, not under,
but through.
And so she took a deep breath,
dived right in and emerged
as something new.
extract from – ‘And So She Chose’
7. Resilient – Tiffany Najbart
An aside, as if apology,
some way to frame suffering sweetly.
The compliment you get,
gold star, a pat on the back
for surviving against all odds
and no matter what cost.
A pretty word to mask horror
so you don’t have to taste it yourself.
poem by – @splatteringdroplets
8. HER Light – Jadine Lydia
She let herself crumble into the ashes of night,
then she rose as a phoenix,
radiating her pure white light.
extract from – ‘And So She Chose’
9. Resilient – Ullie Kaye
in english we say,
“she is resilient.”
in poetry, we say,
“she has been made to grow—
not by her own doing but by
the things in life that gave her
no other choice.”
poem by – Ullie Kaye
10. Resilience - Victoria Erickson
Resilience is
silent and deep,
like roots.
It doesn’t
announce itself.
It doesn’t
explode outward.
It doesn’t fall.
It doesn’t break.
It simply always is.
And you are.
poem by – Victoria Erickson
11. Razor Sharp – Jadine Lydia
She lay, shattered,
into a thousand, tiny pieces;
sharp edges searing,
her paper-thin skin.
Opaque glass cast with a dirty mist,
her last drop of water delicately placed,
on the rim of which her fingertips had rung,
the low chime of a filthy hum.
Around and around and around,
reverberating her pain,
endlessly and relentlessly,
until she dropped.
Yet, in this shattered state,
she vowed to stow her story,
and slowly conspired,
to transmute and transpire;
her broken glass, into a broken pane.
A stained glass story,
in which her one thousand tiny shatters,
became a timeless mosaic,
of perfectly, imperfect pieces;
her razor-sharp light.
extract from – ‘And So She Chose’
A deep and meaningful poetry collection about resilience & finding hope
When life feels heavy, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
And So She Chose is a poetry collection that meets you in your deepest places and gently guides you towards strength, resilience and hope.
Inside, you’ll find words that uplift, empower, and remind you of your infinite worth. Whether you need encouragement for yourself – or a meaningful gift for a powerful woman in your life – this book is a companion for rising again.
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