You weave your manipulations
Like chainmail
Under, over, under, over
Lie, sob story, fabrication, guilt trip
❀
You can paint a pretty halo
Glowing and circling your head
As many times as you want
You'll never be able to disguise
Your knife as a paintbrush
(I'll always know)
❀
You can dip my hands in blood
As many times as you need
It won't make my wounds disappear
And it certainly won't hide
The packet of salt in your steady hands
(I can still feel the pain, even as you hand me the blame)
❀
I spent so long
Pretending not to see
Your subtle selfishness
That I almost forgot
About your ability
To map out a person’s
Soft spots and
Expertly embed
A quiver’s worth
Of arrows in them
(It's not so subtle when I start asking questions)
❀
Potential victims come to you
Moths flitting adoringly to a flame
But I know how you burn
Scorching skin and
Snuffing out any
Other candles in sight
❀
You have a way of
Twisting things so
Your flaws are
Tattooed across
Other people’s bodies
And your faults are
Yoked to somebody
Else’s shoulders
❀
The only person
Who needs to listen
To your accusations
Is you
But you’ve always worn
Delusion like a second skin
Always had a gun loaded
And a lie in the barrel
Always had poison
On your fingertips
As you beckon me closer
(Urging me to pull the trigger
So I'm just as guilty as you)
❀
We all make mistakes
But I acknowledge mine
While you bury yours
In a place where
Only I seem to
Find them
❀❀❀❀❀
The Rest of the Series:
(Doesn't need to be read in chronological order)
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
I AM
This is not who I thought I would be. Before my family was captured and forced into slavery, I had aspirations of becoming a wealthy business owner or possibly a scholar and philosopher. Becoming a warrior was the furthest thing from my mind. Unfortunately, our Roman conquerors had other plans.
By Mark Gagnon2 days ago in Fiction
Comments (15)
My goodness. You have a way with words.
This was incredible just simply amazing
Phenomenal! I am shaking with emotion. So. so powerful and brutally tragic 🤍 Thank you x
So good, Poppy! You're a terrific writer. Always enjoy reading your posts :)
Wow 😮 👌
Anyone who has ever been in such a relationship will strongly connect with these. You’ve done an excellent job of portraying it 🤍
The very first stanza had me hooked! The entire poem was an amazing trail of words that ended with a swift dose of reality. Well done!
Oof, Poppy, this reads like a song! I couldn't help but imagine they were lyrics rather than a poem - so lyrical and organized like a call and response with the parentheses. I clicked on this from Part II because I knew in the first stanza that I needed the background on this!! So glad I did. Fabulous work.
Powerful punch and perfectly penned!!! Loved it!!!❤️❤️💕
OMG I felt every word of this! If it was a song, I’d play it on repeat and sing my heart out. Because this is an anthem for those who’ve suffered from narcissistic abuse. “You have a way of Twisting things so Your flaws are Tattooed across Other people’s bodies And your faults are Yoked to somebody Else’s shoulders“ YES! That’s exactly it! You are on fire with this. ❤️🔥
I have one of these in my life. You’ve knocked this one outta the park! Swing batter batter swing! <clonk> Ball goes over the fence in centerfield- the crowd goes wild!
Great job - The only person Who needs to listen To your accusations Is you But you’ve always worn Delusion like a second skin😉📝💥
I have personal experience with a family member who is a narcissistic sociopath. It took years to heal. This really kicked me in the heart. Feeling anything when reading whether good, bad, angry, joyfulness or sadness is a compliment to a writer/ artist in my opinion. Well conveyed.
As Galinda says in one of my favorite songs from "Wicked" ("For Good"), "But then I guess we know there's blame to share, & none of it seems to matter anymore." Unless the other person admits to no culpability, & then it matters a lot. When everything gets dumped on us & there is nothing to be said or done but bear it (narcissists tend to be experts at manipulating arguments so that any defense proffered becomes proof of their accusations), that's a heavy load to carry. And all I've ever been able to figure out to do is not retaliate & give others the time & space to figure it out for themselves. You write as though from first hand experience, Poppy, & if that is the case my heart goes out to you.
Wow, Poppy. This was so visceral, so raw and full of so much truth. There are so many just stunning lines I'd end up copying most of it here, but I do love the opening stanza, and then from there on in, you slayed, just slayed! - "You'll never be able to disguise Your knife as a paintbrush" is so striking, along with the line about "packet of salt", and that ending is perfect. Just, yeah, wow!