I am on trial
And my sins
Are my testimony
My defense is pathetic
Crumbling under the weight
Of your
Disappointment
I cannot win this case
When I can't even
Believe myself
Everything I say
Can and is used against me
In your court
The jury is your peers
Convicting me on one night
Of blurry evidence
I'll wear this number
Forever burned in my memory
Guilty as charged

The metallic tang
Of disinfectant still
Haunts me
I remember the papery rustle
Of thin sheets
Against your cotton gown
And the constant mask
Of pain
That painted your
Innocent face

You've never looked so young
And I've never felt so old
I can't forget
How you grabbed my hand
And asked me to stay
With pleading eyes
And my heavy heart
Chained me to that bed
I would have stayed there forever

You'll use the excuse
That tastes like apple
And burns like poison
To justify your lust
And your desire to hurt
But drunk actions
Are honest thoughts
And you have never been more
Truthful

It gets awfully lonely
Without a haven
A safe home
To turn to
When all hope seems
Lost

I destroyed my haven
I set you ablaze and left you to
Burn
I turned my back
When I should have stayed
By your bed
In your darkest
Hour

You've been rebuilt
By a different
Homemaker
Who kindles a flame
Within you
And tends to it
With care

I watch from the cold
While you are warmed
By new light
And wonder
If I'll ever be home
Again

You are gone
But you left yourself
In parts of me
That now feel
Hollow

I will give up on you
I will let you go
I will let you be
Hers
Because you will be happy
And after everything
I've put you through
You deserve
A little light
In your life

I can't tell you
Who I am
In 250 words
Or less

My test scores
Say nothing
About the way my smile
Lights up my face
When I talk about
Something I love

My GPA tells you
Nothing
About the way
I react
To stressful situations

I can't describe
My life
With words on a page
Because letters
Don't show you
The tilt of my head
Or the expressions
On my face

I am not a statistic
Or a number
I am a girl
With reasons to love
And dreams to fulfill

Do not put me
In a box
I will color
Outside the lines
And draw circles
Inside of squares

I am not a number
Do not count me
With the rest
But never
Count me out