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She was twenty. Not a girl anymore
Well, barely
Legally speaking, she was
Though,
She still felt like the girl
With everything
that had happened;
The tears,
The fear,
The manipulation,
The disrespect,
and apology
  after apathetic apology,
she felt stunted
Broken
Her mind, filled with the echoes of "Cannot" and "Will not."
Biting words, not shouted but sown,
percolated through her every silence.

She had said the words,
not knowing why
Regret blossomed instantaneously
She had given him permission…
but why would he bite?
The next piece in my Retrospective poem series. Blurred lines and the aftermath of regret. Don’t worry—it gets better!
The girl was only seven,
When he came into the picture
                      
                       Bribery by way of sweets

"Now I have her,"
He must have thought,
This was no mere caper

She wonders,
now,
if he meant it like that.
But at seven, sugar meant YES
This is the first in a series of retrospective poems exploring memory, identity, and survival. Each piece captures a moment in time, but they form something larger together.
Joshua Phelps Apr 12
i was lost,
battered,
bruised—

lost in
a cyclical
spiral,

a downfall
i told myself

i wouldn’t go
through again.

life was on
autopilot,

and i did
all i can

to weather
this storm.

i was struggling
to see the other
side,

then you
came in
my life,

picked up
the pieces,
and

helped
a broken heart

mend and
repair,

so i could
cross over

and finally
see the light.

because of
you,

i believe
in love again.

because of you,

i’m learning
to be a better
person,

so i can
fight for another
day,

just so i

can be with you
for the rest
of my life.

i once was
lost in myself,
but now i’m home.

life is better
when i spend
every waking

moment with
you.
the final piece in a three-part series.

“lost” was about survival, “unwavering” was about inner strength, and “found” is about healing through love.

inspired by avril lavigne’s “keep holding on.”

— The End —