Weakness Is My Superpower

By Tori Collins

Tap, tap, tap dancing to the beat of what I should be,

I could be more confident if I wasn’t so afraid to shine.

I am broken in several areas,

I believe I can still rise above,

Although I don’t want you to recognize my pain.

An unbroken heart told me to move on,

I listened but I didn’t obey.

My perfect tears formed by the saliva of the one who saves,

Searching for the pool of the one who was sent,

Surviving the ridicule from the one who doesn’t believe.

I could be more disciplined if I didn’t fear missing out,

I am torn about what comes next,

I believe I can still rise above,

Although my pain is unrecognizable.

My knees are worn and weak from past loves,

I have been seen but not known,

And my healing is questioned by those who don’t believe.

My weakness is a superpower.

I could be more honest if I wasn’t afraid to trust,

My doubt consumes me in several ways,

I believe I can still rise.

Even so, I cannot explain how my weaknesses are a superpower,

Powerfully fueling my journey on earth.

Tori Collins has been influenced by the power of words; the words of James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, Sonia Sanchez, Toni Morrison, Langston Hughes, E. Ethelbert Miller and most recently Chicago based poet Leslé Honoré. Poetry has been a rediscovered cathartic release for Ms. Collins since the start of the pandemic in 2020. She enjoys serving the public as a transportation policy analyst, while her true work focuses on racial equity---addressing issues of oppression, poverty, and marginalization. Her poetry speaks to these issues and promotes healing through self-love. She has been published in various publications, including the Bourgeon Magazine and The HillRag. This past summer she was honored by her local Fox News station as the Hometown Hero of her Capitol Riverfront neighborhood. Ms. Collins is a native Chicagoan who currently resides in the District of Columbia.