there was a time when it felt as if
someone else wrote the story
that was your very own life
and created with harsh words cruel
pictures of who you were

indicating the flaws that were theirs 
were actually yours,
and you knew this was unfair, untrue
but these words, they were frequent
and slowly began to 
           seep
           beneath 
           your skin,
           regardless

and even through you resisted so hard,
at times they made their way 
right through your beating heart. 

this image that someone else penned 
           has lingered
and in your most vulnerable of moments
you still carry the taint
of hurtful, projected words 

but let me tell you this,
you were not the one 
who held the pen.
you were never the one who 
formed those dreadful phrases
or wrote distorted words.

you were simply there
           targeted. 

and now what you can do
is to pick up the pen
and write anything at all that you choose.
           a story that’s yours
and absolutely should have been yours
           all along

Photo by DaYsO on Unsplash