This is a collection of poems I wrote in 2017 a time when I was going through alot and these poems are just an expression of myself in that year , call it my outlet... 

Expressions of Myself...

I have been strong for far too long The moments gets prolonged As I hold on and reaching out Trying to find a way out I have been strong for far too long Looking in the mirror trying to see How it looks just to be me I have been strong for far too long Always striving to do better Yet I in my mind it looks better And it still doesn't get better I have been strong for far too long The years I have been in this relationship&nbsp; Seems like it’s become somewhat of a dictatorship I have been strong for far too long Using numbing agents to keep me asleep&nbsp; Asleep from the slumber I call my life To be continuously subjected to this strife

Your love compels me to be faithful in all circumstance Your love compels me to be brave and take courage Your love compels me to give hope to the hopeless Your love compels me to be a friend to the friendless Your love compels me to trade my sorrow for Your joy Your love compels me to walk in freedom instead of remaining in bondage Your love compels me to walk in humility and not arrogance Your love compels me to be selfless and not selfish Your love compels me to trust in a world filled with mistrust Your love compels me to pursue You to experience this amazing Love Your love compels me to submit to Your leading But the one thing that means the most to me is that Your love compels me to seek You with my whole heart

The love that is been spoken of here is the Love of God...

In the midst of it all In the midst of it all You are there In the midst of all my pain, You are there In the midst of all my questions of WHY? , You are there In the midst of all my heartache, You are there keeping me In the midst of my suffering, You are there holding me In the midst of me being persecuted,&nbsp;You are there reminding me to pray for them In the midst of accusation, You are there telling me to be still for your are fighting for me In the midst of my trials, You are there whispering “don’t give up” In the midst of my despair You are there strengthening me In the midst of indecision, You are there giving me direction

Sometimes I serve everyone And I forget to serve myself &nbsp; Sometimes people judge me However I don’t judge back &nbsp; Sometimes I am misunderstood And that is totally fine with me &nbsp; Sometimes it I care too much And it hurts when no one seem to care for me &nbsp; Sometimes I give of myself So that others don’t need to know how it feels to be alone &nbsp; Sometimes I feel alone That doesn’t happen sometimes That happens all the time &nbsp;&nbsp; Sometimes I forget about me Saddest thing is that, that doesn’t happen Sometimes it happens all the time

You see your perception Is a complete misconception For I am ever changing Daily I am evolving and I find all your labels quite revolting Don’t label me &nbsp; I wasn’t put on this earth to be confined by your thoughts towards me Your labels though they seem to you as appropriate I for one do not appreciate You seem to think I like your added flavour So do me a favour Don’t label me

I refuse to be confined by your ignorant notions of who I am Do me a favor don’t put a label on me I am who I am because I worked through all my layers And I finally immersed from all the labels that hid my true self So please I ask again, Don’t label me &nbsp; NOW, I understand that your labelling was out of a place of misunderstanding, Or perhaps it was out of a place of insecurity Or even self hate Because all you knew was to hate But please Don’t label me

There were days &nbsp; There were days When I knew all your ways Days when I allowed you to rearrange My life to a point where it was oh so strange And I felt deranged &nbsp; There were days When your ways Were like plays That I had a front row seat to view Everything about you were in full view &nbsp; There were days You could speak a word or two And I would rush to see you Regardless of all the things I needed to do I still made time for you &nbsp; There were days When your face was all I longed for Even though I knew the drama that was in store For me and that which I couldn’t ignore Yet you still welcomed in through the door

In the midst of my joy, You are there reminding me to rejoice In the midst of me feeling downtrodden, You are there to lift me up In the midst of feeling unworthy , You are there reminding me that I am worthy In the midst of me feeling unlovable , You are there loving me unconditionally In the midst of me failing, You are there telling me that I am forgiven In the midst of me wanting to run away, You whisper stay In the midst of my anger, You are there telling me to calm down In the midst of my brokenness, You remind me that I am whole in Your sight In the midst of all that I face daily Lord You are there And You&nbsp;have given me the promise that You will never leave me In the midst of it all

I carry you in times of despair When you are despondent I see your struggle and it’s my struggle too I carry you We are deeply entwined like a cord of three strands hold together by God I carry you When you cry, I cry When you laugh, I laugh When you are disappointed I am disappointed with you

R E S T O R A T I O N

He Renewed my Spirit and allowed me to Exhale He taught me how to Steward my life properly and Take care of my soul He Ordained my life’s path He gave me Rest and daily Affirmed me He Tamed my tongue and Ignited a passion inside of me So that He could Order my steps to receive His Never-ending Grace

I carry you in my soul And here I am pouring out my soul To let you know that you are not alone I am purposed to carry you For we have become ONE and that is why I carry you deep in my soul...

EXPRESSIONS OF MYSELF ... Written by Zenneline Louw

strong - ability to withstand force or pressure...

Don’t label me because you don’t understand yourself Don’t label me because you can’t stand yourself Don’t label me because you are battling with your insecurities Darling, it so does not matter to me what you think of me because All your labelling does is expose you Don’t label me You labelling me exposes who you are And the space you find yourself in So please Don’t label me &nbsp;

Label - something put on something to give it a name. we have all been labelled something by someone and this has somehow influenced how we lived our lives through others lenses. This poem shed some light on the labels I have been called...

It’s rare when you have been able to find a keeper however when you do, be sure to keep them close to you for they are the ones that will help you make your dreams come true and they will be the first to purchase your first copy of the novel you were meant to write, man they will even run off to a publisher to publish the book you have held on for many years but you didn’t have the guts to take it yourself. Keepers will joke with you about stupid things you did and they will still love you irrespective, keepers will know everything about you and they will not divulge anything to others because they value confidentiality and they value you as a person and they will protect your friendship at all cost. Keepers challenges you to make your relationships better with others, keepers will give you a different insight on things that will enhance your understanding of matters. Some experience keepers once or twice in their lives and when that happens you only have two things that you need to do and that is &nbsp;never push a keeper away KEEP them forever and a day &nbsp;

Don’t label me &nbsp; Excuse me, Can I have your attention for a moment Excuse me!! Yes, you the one who just labelled me I beg your pardon I think your notion of me is some what crooked Don’t label me Labels are everywhere Labels are given to things so that they are easily identified Pardon me, but who gave you the right to put a label on me? I don’t recall asking you to set me free Don’t label me &nbsp;

I have been strong for far too long The life I have become accustomed to Is slowly being misconstrued I have been strong for far too long Thinking that my thoughts are pure and true Yet all it is perceived as is untruths And my intentions is misconstrued I have been strong for far too long My life's message I seem to know&nbsp; Yet the ones that I deemed to know Just keeps on breaking me blow by blow I have been strong for far too long And right now I am about to crumble Because the stones that are thrown at me are purposed to make me stumble &nbsp; I have been strong for far too long Hoping and praying that some day God will make a way

Keepers treats you as if you are the most important person in the world. They don’t pretend to give of themselves, when you are speaking with them you are aware that they have dropped everything they were busy with to give you of their time and you have their full attention Keepers value their time and so they make the most of the time they have with you. That in turn allows you to respect and value their time and you do not want to waste any of it. Keepers will tell you straight when you have gone astray and they are not scared to speak up when they see you have been wrong about something. Keepers are the kind of friends that inspire you to be a better person and to also allow yourself to grow and strengthen your weakness. Keepers come alongside you they pick you up when you are down, they celebrate your achievements without being envious. They cry with you when you are sad and they allow you to be in that moment. Keepers are friends that will tell you that you look a mess and you must straighten yourself out cause you cannot go on like that however they will also be a mess with you so that you don’t have to feel alone.

To my keepers Wallace, Bianca and Marchalene...

Name calling as always been your style Perhaps you thought I would walk a mile Because of the words you speak to describe me are utterly vile They have been so far of the mark You thought you were igniting a spark While I was in the dark Don’t label me &nbsp; The labels you put on me in the form of words They imprisoned me They confined me They undressed me Your labels weakened me Please, Don’t label me

Keeper There are friends who come in your life and the moment you meet them you just know that they are going to make your life so much funner (if that is even a word) Then there are friends who you have known for years and on first impact you know that this one is a keeper. I&nbsp;have had the honour of meeting “keepers” in my life these friendships have certain characteristics that I hold dear and I do not take their friendships for granted. These keepers are friends who teaches you how to be better and the y are not selfish to share of their most precious moments in life, they don’t hold back on sharing their weaknesses, they trusts you wholeheartedly and they give of themselves wholeheartedly as well which in turn makes you comfortable to be yourself, keepers creates an environment that makes it easy for you to share the innermost of your being with them. They allows you space to speak your heart out. They allow you to make your mistake but be sure they will tell you what it was and what not to do, they will hear you out however they will also warn you if they feel they need to.&nbsp;

Your labels are blinding you from seeing me You label me because something is a missing in you You label me because instead of complimenting me You think that by finding something wrong with my appearance You would seem to be right And that may make you seem bright Don’t label me &nbsp; I hate to disappoint you darling You are so off the point All your findings does is expose what you are lacking And make yourself prone to some smacking When all you should have done was give me some backing Don’t label me

There were days When your touch lingered In my innermost it triggered Remnants of you were deep in my senses Until the day I finally came to my senses &nbsp; Yes there were days And today that is all they were and all that they are Days that are past Days never to return &nbsp; Yes those were the days And today you still remain the same But I for one can never be that dame I have changed and even though Those were the days &nbsp; You are definitely no longer A part of my present nor are you A part of my future days Because those days are all behind me

I have been strong for&nbsp;far too long &nbsp; I have been strong for far too long Awaiting for change to come Thinking all the abuse is done I have been strong for far too long Knowing I can break any moment After every degrading moment I have been strong for far too long Hearing what an excuse of a woman I am Thinking he is the great I am I have been strong for far too long Continuously hoping for better Yet I become the Go-Getter I have been strong for far too long Searching for a place to belong Staying mentally strong

I don’t need you to identify me I already know who I am My identity is rooted in Christ and I don’t need you to label me

Your love compels me Your love compels me to love instead of hate Your love compels me to understand, even when I am misunderstood Your love compels me to care even when I am not cared for Your love compels me to encourage in the midst of my discourage Your love compels me to look beyond what my eyes can see Your love compels me to hold on when all I want to do is give up Your love compels me to embrace and not push away Your love compels me to forgive the unfathomable Your love compels me to bestow grace Your love compels me to nurture Your love compels me to respond instead of react Your love compels me to do better daily Your love compels me to honour in a world filled with dishonour Your love compels me to live in truth instead of deceit Your love compels me to value even when I feel devalued Your love compels me to give correction when others choose to be silent

You see them struggling You hear them grappling You observe their fights With all their plights However just Let them be &nbsp; Be there when they need an ear Be there when they need to a cheer Be there when they need a hug When all they do is shrug Just, Let them be &nbsp; And when they are ready to reappear Let them know that you are near But for the most part just Let them be &nbsp;

Sometimes &nbsp; Sometimes my truth hurts so much However that is my truth &nbsp; Sometimes I love too much But that is who I am &nbsp; Sometimes I trust too much But that is how I am, how I have been shaped &nbsp; Sometimes I look deeper Deeper than what the naked eye can see &nbsp; Sometimes I give more Regardless of what I receive &nbsp; Sometimes I sell myself short Because selfless living is my mandate &nbsp; Sometimes I do more than expected Because that is me always taking initiative &nbsp; Sometimes I work myself to a standstill Because hard work has never scared me &nbsp;

Many times we do not need people to tell us how to be , we just want them to allow us to be even if it is just for  a moment...

Encouragement - the gift of speaking positively into negative situations...

I have been strong for far too long Trusting that my God will save me That my God will protect me And yes He has shielded me I have been strong for far too long Only because my God has kept me He has kept me from falling apart When everything inside of me wanted to part I have been strong for far too long But my God who has never left me Was there , He has kept me As I journey on the road towards self-destruction He was there to give me correction I have been strong for far too long Yet not in my own strength But in His strength He has purposed my resurrection And that is why I have been strong for far too long

Let them be &nbsp; You are often in contact with your friends To make amends You want to fix their problems And give solutions You even jump to our own conclusions Would you just, Let them be &nbsp; They often struggle with an inner war And all they want to do is shut the door The darkness around them seem to appear All they really want is someone to be near There is power in just being silent And allowing them to go off in a tyrant Please, Let them be &nbsp; There are times you will see them battling And you want to save them from cracking Their wounds are open And they don’t want to expose ‘em And even when &nbsp;all&nbsp;you want to do is close ‘em Would you please just Let them be

I carry you I feel you in my innermost I carry you in the deepest crevice of my heart When you are heavy I feel your heaviness When you are sad I feel your sadness I carry you in my senses It’s unexplainable Though I do feel this deep connection with you You need not say a word when I am with you Your presence is all that matters The&nbsp;presence of all your senses

Thank you for taking time to read my collection of poems... I hope it has somewhat inspired you... All my love, Zen

E N C O U R A G E M E N T &nbsp; The Enemy coming in like a flood And Nothing seems to make sense When all your Courage is gone Why don’t you Open your eyes Please Understand that He Will Restore everything that you lost And He will Gracefully put you together again So my dear Encourage when you need it the most A word of cheer Means a lot to one who Seems as if they are just Existing You are Needed To bring hope even when you are hopeless