My bones did not bend back to how they used to be after you left, they hardened, became dense and formed a circle around my heart And every time I try to soften them to allow the potential of a new love in it stubbornly refuses to soften a single bit no matter how amazing that new potential may be
my exes get off easy when they leave because they never hear from me and while they become the muse of my poetry I pretend they exist in a different universe at times Iβve even pretended some of them were dead none of this was ever done with ill intent itβs just the only way I know how to deal with catastrophic heartbreak Iβd rather close their chapter in my life indefinitely than deal with some pseudo friendship and it seems cruel and harsh In the long run, Iβm doing them a favor Sparing them from me hurting them in an unexpected explosion of emotions when I canβt reign my rage in even in the end, Iβm still protecting them out of respect for the love we once shared
“and I thanked God to touch the flame”- Conan Gray
Iβm trying my best to find gratitude for this trauma anniversary trying to let go of that catastrophic day trying to quell the anger, rage, and grief, my body kept score of itβs going to be a day of triggers and emotional dysregulation itβs going to be a day where traumatic memories take up space in my mind and body the best I can do it try to take comfort that every year it gets easier And some day it will be unimportant that someday Iβll find a way to write about this day without breaking down that someday Iβll forget that this day meant anything but today Iβm acknowledging one of the worst days of my life honoring the rollercoaster of emotions that still comes up and make me want to vomit and find compassion for myself and the person who drove me from the edge of my sanity
a text from an unknown number reminded me of my past when I was sick with a love addiction when I gave in to my impulsivity when I gave my energy freely to anyone who paid attention to me
me about to pop this balloon of my self limiting beliefs
As I let go of my self limiting beliefs, I grieve the woman I used to be so insecure and unsure of herself so hesitant to take control and power Overthinking and catastrophizing constantly it held me back from living the life of my dreams- Jealousy and envy filled me up Scrolling the professional and personal successes of others on social media Thinking, βthat could have been meβ and giving too much importance to the opinions of others wondering constantly- βare they judging me?β It was a toxic story I told myself since the age of 16 and it continued on and on until one day in my middle age I exploded and decided to fight my inner critic and challenge everything I thought was wrong with me slowly, I learned to turn my story around Slowly, I went from victim to heroine
“back when I was living for the hope of it all”-Taylor Swift
Iβm a poet, Iβm a writer but when it comes to expressing the romantic in me I have the hardest time Iβm great at expressing my anger, my disappointment, my shame but when it comes to love, I shy away and put my guard up itβs a mix of trauma and cognitive distortions Iβve held within me since the age of 16 self limiting beliefs that no man has ever loved or respected me and failing at all of my love stories no matter how hard I tried to succeed, no matter how much I accommodated or changed for my partner, he leaves me and Iβm left flabbergasted, devastated, traumatized so embedded and attached to my past tragedies Iβm apprehensive and hesitant when it comes to trying on someone new. when to comes to pursuing anything more than friendship it leaves me in the land of βI donβt know how to fucking do this again without it breaking meβ and so I sit still, waiting for my crush to say something, do something to restart my heart once again
“but on a wednesday in a cafe, I watched it begin again”- Taylor Swift
I avoid the flutter of butterflies in my stomach at all costs I donβt want to get lost and consumed by love Some people call this avoidance cowardice, Some people call this a trauma response I call it keeping my sanity intact and being more safe than sorry
once my boundaries are crossed, I CUT YOU OUT LIKE TAGS ON MY CLOTHING (like the great Conan Gray said)
itβs not romance, itβs harassment placing me on your dream girl altar and telling me about your boner Even after I told you no But then you still threw me your delusional love and when I was honest right way and I told you βIβm sorry but noβ somehow now Iβm a crazy bitch, a stranger whoβs letting her mental illness talk for her after calling out your misogynistic behavior All I said was no to you and the insults come on cue I warned you, didnβt I and now foul, you cry I told you I wasnβt ready for what you had to offer but you kept playing the part of my great admirer and maybe Iβm fucked up in the head but your fantasies I needed to behead I needed to keep myself safe from men like you who try to bully me into loving them into giving in because your endless attention and compliments havenβt you read my story? Iβm not no longer a woman who bends and bends to manβs thirst for me
“this hurt that I’m holding’s getting heavy”-Conan Gray
after the thunderstorm came and went I wrote a hundred poems about what happened I didnβt know how to process it and 1 hour in therapy didnβt cut it the epic flood of grief that followed and while it may seem excessive and melodramatic It was either I kept writing or I kept dreaming of dying
Iβve walked through the warzone of my love life long enough to know when a bomb is about to explode (when I fall of some guyβs dream girl altar) It’s a minefield full of suppressed feelings consequences of accommodating to a manβs ego And Iβll tread ever so carefully I donβt want to be alone, I just want to be loved, Iβll bend and bend until you call me Gumby Except Iβm not and then Iβll snap and another bomb will go off βYouβre crazy,β youβre dangerousβ β I donβt recognize youβ all for expressing my feelings and wanting respect and dignity
we could have been friends but you ruined it by crossing my boundaries by showing your unhealthy attachment to me saying youβll wait for me to change my mind acting like Iβm a challenge to take on seeing me as an objection of your affection, a pretty girl to jack off to so I was left with no choice but to block you from my universe if you canβt respect my βnoβ and listen to me when Iβm assertive about it Iβm sorry itβs not me, itβs definitely you and you can no longer have access to me maybe upon a time I thought I needed you to validate me, to make me feel sexy but now I see you were just a temporary fix to give me confidence and when I saw how unhealthy this was I tried my best to be honest with you let it be known that I’m not here for any sexual or romantic energy but you didnβt take me seriously and now we canβt even be friends we are far better off as strangers
“I should have known it was strange, you only come out at night”- Olivia Rodrigo
I never paid much attention to where I put my body I never really cared as long as my sexual needs were met as long it was called sexy but this habit hurt me over and over again Until one day I was trapped and couldnβt breathe and I watched my body from afar being desecrated by the person who claimed to love me after that day- I grew protective of my precious body ran away from anyone who might hurt it my body is too much of a masterpiece for me to allow it to ever be defiled and disrespected in the name of βloveβ
I called you a villain in my book of lust and love I never saw your humanity I never understood how I played my part in our chaotic and dysfunctional story of love Instead it was easier to blame you over and over again It was easier to play the victim rather than try to accept you as the imperfect human that you are Rather than to see how you never wanted a βwe; rather than to accept you just wanted someone sometimes to not feel so lonely
My lack of common sense left being me loyal to people who never deserved it..
Our story needed to end and today feels like the definitive ending Youβll never give me the consistency in love I need And Iβll never birth the baby you wanted Weβre too different, weβre too alike and I sarcastically and constantly ask myself βare we having fun yetβ Sometimes we did but most of the time I never understood where I stood So block me and , forget me Youβll never be enough for me and Iβll never be enough for you
Got two hours of sleep last night But I still woke up with excitement in my bones Excited about a future without you Excited that youβre really gone from my life Because while I loved you and had many good times You were never going to change, and neither was I We were on the road to nowhere And now that weβre forever apart Weβre on the road to somewhere Somewhere that gives us space to grow Somewhere without the pain and drama we caused each other Somewhere that brings us the peace and love we need to be authentic