By God’s Grace
For the girl who lost her innocence but not her light
Content Warning:
This poem contains references to childhood sexual abuse, reproductive trauma, and healing. Please read with care.
Introduction:
This piece is a reclamation. It gives voice to the pain, silence, and stolen choices that so many survivors carry. It’s not just a poem—it’s a declaration of healing. Of forgiving without forgetting. Of walking through fire and still choosing freedom. This is for the inner child who was never protected, and the woman who rose to defend her now.
By God’s Grace
You stole what was never yours to take—
a body too young to hold that kind of pain,
a silence forced where laughter should’ve lived.
By God’s grace, not weakness, I forgave you—and that is my victory.
You crept in with hands that rewrote my girlhood,
turned trust into a shadow that never stopped watching me.
You called it a secret—I called it survival.
By God’s grace, not weakness, I forgave you—and that is my victory.
I carried what I didn’t know was inside me—
life forming in a womb too traumatized to feel it.
A child inside a child, never given the chance to choose.
By God’s grace, not weakness, I forgave you—and that is my victory.
The doctor said it was a mistake.
But how could I mourn what I didn’t know existed?
Still, I bled, not just from my body, but from the soul.
By God’s grace, not weakness, I forgave you—and that is my victory.
Now I walk with metal beneath my skin—
a decision not made in freedom, but in fear.
Family planning, they called it. I called it protection from possibility.
By God’s grace, not weakness, I forgave you—and that is my victory.
You didn’t just take my innocence.
You rewired how I see safety, trust, and choice.
But still, I rose with scars, but also with sacred rage.
By God’s grace, not weakness, I forgave you—and that is my victory.
Forgiveness was never about setting you free.
It was me—unshackling my spirit from your shadow.
I didn’t forget. I didn’t excuse.
But I refused to let your violence define my peace.
By God’s grace, not weakness, I forgave you—and that is my victory.
About the Author:
Anne Kasyoka is a multilingual communications specialist and the founder of Mosaic Unveiled, a survivor-centered initiative that amplifies stories of trauma, healing, and justice. Through writing, advocacy, and media, she creates brave spaces for women and girls to reclaim their voices and rewrite their narratives.
