i once was free
but i let you tie my hands, my feet
and tighten,
until the person i was
evaporated
with ropes, chains, prison bars
you held me up until i forgot
how to stand without you

i once was free
but i let you drown me,
despondent at the bottom of the sea.
i waited so long to breathe
choking, gasping, panicking,
until i didn't care
to breathe anymore;
until i didn't know how to.

i once was free,
but like fire ravaging underfoot,
i let you consume me.
you chewed away at my sanity
with every bite
counting, measuring, running
just until the fat was gone
until i,
was gone.

i once was free,
but then you pushed me
a little too far this time
who knew i would end up here.
"i just wanted to be skinny"
i repeated
"i just wanted to be skinny"
until all i wanted was to be
dead.

and there i was,
holding on by a string.
the same string you tied
around my waist, and then,
around my neck
and pulled tighter,
tighter,
i once was free.