I am the queen,

I am the ruler.

My body is my kingdom.

It may be quite war torn,

but it is my fortress, my castle.

There are cracks and missing walls,

moss grows upon my ragged edges.

I feel I may be crumbling at times,

falling to the ground piece by piece.

Then I remember what I would lose.

If I fell, it would not be long before,

people come to gape at this travesty.

They would talk of how beautiful  I must have been,

how much I had offered to the world.

Now I am a dump,

where teens come to vandalize me once more,

this time with their cigarette butts and spray paint,

not just their hateful words.

I will not become this wreck they want me to be.

My walls have held up,

I am still standing.

They cannot bring me tumbling down,

I will stand tall,

because I am worth preserving.

I do not need a knight in shining armor,

I am my own savior, my own hero.

My armor is dull, not shiny,

I am no knight,

but I am strong enough to defend the castle.