The people we love the most, may wish nothing more than to hurt us so that they can feel a modicum of control and power in their own lives.
Like the black king, we must navigate the board with precision
We can choose to move with grace, or resentment
We can choose to set boundaries and demand self respect
Or we can allow them to continue to psychologically destroy and manipulate us out of fear
Fear that the relationship will disintegrate like a figment of the imagination
Fear of the thought of being alone, truly and unfathomably alone
And while we understand their traumas and their pain,
when we accept abuse,
we allow a scythe to cross our throats
because the substance itself is heroine
soon the pain and suffering, seeks out its kind
the kind of jaundice skin that clings to fragile bone
when we choose grace, we choose the lighter load
when we set boundaries and respect ourselves
we can begin to heal