FROM THE MAZE, I STEPPED OUT by Shoushan Balian

 

From the Maze, I Stepped Out

by Shoushan Balian

 

From the maze, I stepped out

From dim, terrifying chambers

From constant, perplexing circles

From narrow, stifling passages

I stepped out

 

I stepped out

The beast of my fears tamed

The flood of my confusion drained

The course of my path discerned

 

I had launched

Into the battle of self-deliverance

Stomped by the beat of war drums

Stormed by the blast of war cries

 

My decisions were led

By the vigor of my will

And not

By euphoric miscalculations

As others perceived.

My stamina prevailed

By the strength of my faith

As others looted my power

To assert their false dichotomy.

My individuality survived

By my loyalty

To the truest version of myself

 

I stepped out

From the perils of a dark sea

Of chaos

And landed

In the wonders of a meadow

Of lilies

(This poem first appeared in Through the Soul into Life)

Shoushan Balian is of Armenian origin, born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, later living in Paris. She is a writer, poet, and visual artist now living in Oakland, California. In her book, Through the Soul into Life, Shoushan sets off on aquest in search of herself and her power. Redefining her relationship with the world and the Divine, her earnest urge to pinpoint the cause of human suffering, and alleviate it, shines through every page. Shoushan’s story dives into the complexities and the challenges of her inner world in relation to social norms, religion, politics, anguish, love, human rights and the hurdles that we have to face to recover our authenticity, spirituality and empathy.

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