My lighthearted soul
  recalls past encounters
    riveted in uplifted glee

Memories stripped raw
  and exposed for me to
    witness and proclaim

I was then a child and
  cutting my path in life
    neither rich or poor

Seeking knowledge from
  my elders I gathered about
    them watching and learning

Clear was made of mistakes
  not to forego as right & wrong
    took shape before mine eyes

The best of times from my
  dominative vantage of which
    the lessons still hold true today

I am made of dust of which one
  day I will return and until then
    life is to be lived aloud and free.

You held me
             You Hurt me
You loved me
              Your hands on me
You promised you would protect me
               You were the monster I feared
Every whisper
                Every insult
Brought me to life
                Destroyed me
A weekend away
                Two hours in the truck
Was paradise
                Was Torture
Every soft caress
                 Every dominative stare
The holding of hands
                  The body you claimed
The touching of lips
                   The skin you made me taste
You cried when you left
                    I cried at what was left of me
An ultimatum in three months
                     A chance at freedom
A broken heart
                     A weight off my shoulders
I hate you
                     I love you
For hurting me
                      For showing me how strong I am
You made me a victim
                      I became a pheonix