Poison Fruit

You raised me up,
	then brought me down.
In between we loved, fought and got caught
	in one another’s web of insincerity and deep-felt need.
The spaces were filled with warmth, passion
	and a chill that could turn your toes black.
I yearned for and felt your presence long after you were gone.
The after-effects of your rhetoric seeped into the contours of my brain;
	influencing my thoughts and dictating my deeds.
You were in my life for a reason.
To teach me what I can do without and to--
	damn it, I hate to admit this--
You taught me to love and think for myself.
I may have gone kicking and screaming as I learned to do this--
	obstructing your wisdom and negating the power you had over me.
Today I am better off without you,
	because I’m not the same me.
Thank you for helping me grow,
	but no thank you for weaving yourself into my very being
	to the point where I was no longer me.
The bottom dropped out.
The puzzle lost it’s pieces.
I had to reconfigure those pieces to fit into a whole new me.
The power of thought gives me the ability
	to choose to take what moves me ahead
	and disregard what keeps me still.
Thank you for being in my life, 
	because I wouldn’t be here without the good and the bad of you.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2010

Poem

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July 28, 2010 at 6:41 AM
What a great array of poetry we have been presented to read today. I am happy yours is one of those poems I have read today. I hope your day brings you much inspiration so you may continue presenting your poetry to us to read Elizabeth. Love, Carol
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