I promise
I won’t lie
I am broken
Slashed open
Innocence stolen
And parts of me
Are provoked
By the throat
Of a ghost
Forming words
That cursed
The world I see
Coerced and hurt
A past rehearsed
For many decades
I constantly revert
And my heart blurts
It’s pain into reality
And my capacity
Is minimized
My maturity
Is criticized
My progress
Is victimized
And all I can do
Is ignore those who
Can’t sympathize
And look past those
Who simply demonize
And focus my strengths on
My responsibilities
My capabilities
My flexibilities
And all the wonderful
Possibilities there are
To learn, to grow
And to do better