This outer toughness just conditioninga baby alligatorthat’s me Raised in a swampEat or be eaten!family mantra, andDeal with it! I know it’s a lotto take insee the disbeliefin civilized eyes Resistance to oppression begets deeper woundsFear taught me wellSurvival, they say, of the fittest. (For Reena’s Xploration challenge: featured image is prompt.)