You chained me up
Made me your slave
I carried you everywhere I went
You made me leave my friends
You made me hurt my family
Watching me in pain
You controlled every single aspect of my life
Where I went
Who I associated with
What I did
How I viewed the world and myself
You extinguished the light in my heart and sucked the oxygen out of my lungs
You preyed on my every vulnerability and destroyed me when I was at my weakest
You broke me
But I got back up.
I relit my candle.
Over the years, it grew into a fire.
I got stronger.
I spat in your face and left you lying defenseless on the curb.
I drowned the remnants of your body in the black lake by the mountaintop.
I burned your belongings and said a prayer next to the ashes.
I prayed that you would writhe in hell, never to suffocate another little girl ever again.
I crossed myself and walked away, abandoning you with every footstep.
Now I defy your legacy with every ounce of my spirit I bought back.
I sing. I laugh. I dance. I love. I fly.
I run barefoot in meadows.
I climb to the icy tips of mountains.
I paint with the memories of joy that I have collected like stamps.
I have deserted you, and you will never abuse me again.
