Home » Poems » Victory Elunwa » I am not a victim

I am not a victim

The scars of your anger
are still etched on my skin.
Your gaslighting whispers
once convinced me
that I was the reason
for every storm you created.

Yet here I stand.

I am not a victim.

I conquered the version of me
you tried to destroy.
I reclaimed the power
you stole in fragments,
piece by piece,
until I became whole again.

I am not a victim.

The psychological traps
that kept me tethered to your cruelty,
the manipulation disguised as love,
the fear disguised as loyalty,
I gathered them all
and turned them into lessons.

And for those lessons,
I earned an A.

Still, here I stand.

I am not a victim.

You sought to control me
because my fear made you feel powerful.
Perhaps my silence
made you feel like a man.

You tried to conquer my mind,
my body,
my spirit.
You tried to own the parts of me
that were never yours to claim.

Yet I remain.

I am not a victim.

Those nights you forced your body into mine
without my consent,
I shattered into a thousand pieces.
A thousand silent screams.
A thousand broken prayers.

Then came the apologies.

The flowers.
The gifts.
The promises.

You said you never meant to hurt me.
You called it love.

But love does not violate.
Love does not take.
Love does not leave bruises
on the body or the soul.

Still,

I am not a victim.

The day I found my voice,
I found my freedom.

You raged.
You built a prison from fear
and locked me inside.

But cages cannot hold
a soul determined to be free.

So I escaped.

Now I breathe without permission.
I speak without fear.
I live without apology.

I survived you.

And survival is not weakness.
It is victory.

So let the world hear me:

I am not a victim.

I am a survivor.
I am resilient.
I am whole.

And I am free.

abuseemotionsfreedomhurtpsychologicalfree verse

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Tania Kitchin

August 22, 2026 at 6:58 PM

Victory, a powerful and emotive poem. You're not a victim but a survivor. Nicely penned.

Beata Agustin

June 15, 2026 at 9:08 PM

Thanks for sharing this... exposing your thoughts through your unique poetic style. Welcome to Poetry Soup. I welcome you with the love of the Lord, expressed by John 3:16 of the Bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Be blessed.