When I knew you

You treated me poorly

    You made me feel as though all the fault was mine

         But because of you I have grown stronger

I now know that the fault is not mine

    That every time I was knocked down

         It wasn’t simply because of my own weakness

You manipulated me

You forced me to do things I had no desire for

You warped me until I couldn’t recognize my own self

 

After I got away

After I was distanced from you

    Life around me started to become more colorful

         The dull grays I once saw faded away

I started to grow again

    To see the world through a clear lens

         To understand that there is more to life

For the first time in almost a year

    I saw myself as a person

A beautiful person

    Who is worth more than her negative experiences

 

Because of you I am more adamant

    I am more vocal of my beliefs

         I know what is right and wrong

And I will try my hardest to speak up

    Because what happened to me shouldn’t have

         Because what happened to me happens to others

And no one deserves that

 

So six years free from your abuse I thank you

    Because you made me who I am today

Your influence at the time was negative

    But I have taken that negativity

         And turned it into something positive