I am the woman
Your mother warned you about.
The hushed voice
Pretending everything was fine
Telling me not to speak
Removing the words from my throat
Replacing them with self-hatred
Creating the person I was becoming.
I am the woman
Your mother warned you about.
The flash of fear
When my heart would stop
And veins would clog with ice
Snapping me into an action
That only sometimes kept me safe
Creating the person I was becoming.

I am the woman
Your mother warned you about.
The silent screams
Edges of a blade
Sharpness of pain past
Drawing blood that welled
Slowly falling like tears
Creating the person I was becoming.

I am the woman
Your mother warned you about.
The confusion, the anger
Helplessness of feeling
Frozen in place with no way out
Doors, windows bolted shut
Imprisoned in a life of degradation
Creating the person I was…