---

– Enemies Closer –


In these more intimate moments,
I am surrounded by my enemies.
I am steeped in the damage done
by the malice of their actions,
and by the bitter memories
left behind within my fragile heart.

These echoes of my past
catch at my heels
as I begin the dance;

“She’s just a freak,
a filthy, filching slut.
Taking what she can get,
living in the rough.”

For an aching moment,
I once again begin to believe them,
until I realize that the truth of my enemy
is something that they could never dare
to admit to themselves openly;
I am the consolation to their own heartache.
I am the salve to their deepest wounds.
I am the avatar of an empathy
which they have long since lost.

Their truth is the greater tragedy.
I hold no hatred for them now,
only my forgiveness and my pity,
for when that moment of their cruelty
has come and gone,
when their cynical attentions
have passed beyond me,
and they are left with only
themselves to prey upon,
I will know with utter certainty
that I am more resilient
than they could ever hope to be.

---