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Who Am I

You ask me who I am,
I suppose I should start with my name.
Leah Lizbeth Magliari,
a Biblical derived name.

You ask me who I am,
Italian, Puerto Rican, Czech and Irish is what I’ll say.
A descendant of all who endured hardships,
to get me where I am today.

You ask me who I am,
a good Christian who always tries to obey,
but often does stray,
from the rules and the morals of the old testaments days.
Who grew up in Sunday school,
and read devotions with her Grandma everyday.
Who holds onto her faith,
because she knows no other way.

You ask me who I am,
my Mothers daughter I will say.
Strong, beautiful and fierce in every single way.
Who lives to make mom proud,
to somehow repay all the obstacles she shoved away.

You ask me who I am,
my weaknesses I do not outright display
I am the epitome of too empathetic,
who does not just listen to your pain, I try and take it away.
Who believes in justice and always doing the right thing.
Who believes in charity, and taking care of those who need help.
Who believes in the greater good,
and always lending a hand.

You ask me who I am,
a being with a soul I will say.
Who will live each day,
trying to make the best decisions I can.
Who thinks we all have to have a little faith,
to get down this road of life.
Who has seen struggles,
and lost the ones I love.
Who has seen the beauty of all the little things.
Who never takes life for granted
and tries to be grateful everyday.

You ask me who I am,
a masterpiece of my upbringing I should say.
Who has been made tougher with each day,
who took a little bit of others along my journey,
and pieced them together to find myself here today.

I lay here in the darkness awaiting the dawn.
Hoping that if I cannot dream peacefully, the tiredness will leave my body.
But I know this will not happen,
eventually my eyes will grow heavy and close,
and the nightmares of you will come flooding in.
Like the gates of hell opening, the flames unruly and growing.
I wait for the haunting of your greedy, selfish eyes,
hovering over my helpless body.
For your hands to find their way to my neck,
to my mouth, stifling my pleas.
For you to possess every inch of me,
hungry to feed your desires.
My lungs burning the need for air,
my tongue unable to create a sound.
I scream not with my mouth,
but rather with my eyes.
Tears rush down my cheeks.
The fire of hatred burns deep within.
My body grows weak,
I know I cannot escape.
Bear the torture, do not fill his desires.
I close my eyes and yours haunt me.
But when dawn must rest and the twilight seeps in,
I know you will find your way into my dreams,
haunting them every second.
My control taken, my body not mine but yours.
So tonight when I finally close my eyes,
I pray that you will be gone.
But I cannot suppress it any longer,
my bones ache, longing for the needed rest.
Running from my living nightmare, I have grown tired.
Every fogged window is imprinted with my hand pleading for a way out,
every dark night is haunted by the memories.
Your eyes burned into my soul,
You left your etching in me.