Break Away Poem by Marcquiese Burrell

A balance between us suddenly shifted
Friends, saw something in you... I was so foolish to not see
Things you've done gone unnoticed
The odd criticism here or sarcastic quip there
Gradually, bit by bit my self-esteem chipped away
Convinced myself that you loved me
or that you were just under alot of pressure
And you saying, 'you don't mean it,
that, you're just trying to help'
'No one could ever love you the way I do'
Still I allowed you to get under my skin
Because, I really did believe it
Having been brainwashed to think I can't live without you
You're the dominating force in my life
I sometimes feel inadequate, useless, and fearful of you
Excusing all the violence towards myself,
my self-esteem has really been battered
Now realizing the dangers that I put myself through
Finding the courage withinside myself to overcome
What so long ago I been hindered to see
No more will I continue to make excuses for you
An abusive relationship isn't a relationship at all
In a true relationship there is mutual support and encouragment
you spend time with the person you are involved with...
talk to them without having to be judged and or
arguments which results in being violated physically
you don't attack one mentally paralyzing them to a point
where they become cripped and dependent on you
To love a person is to accept the flaws and all...
not everything you are going to like about a person
And if so... It's considered to be lust, not love
Understanding this, I realized that I was the victim
And I won't allow myself to play that role anymore
For I have found the courage to break away,
from this nightmare that became my reality