I know you now…

Originally published May 10, 2020

I knew you at 14
When I seemed so much older,
Distanced from those around me.

I knew you at 19
When I fled in a blizzard
Scared, hurt, aching for answers.

I knew you at 21
When I walked out
No longer fearing a letter of red.

I knew you at 28
When you threatened
My life if I left.

Oh, yes, I knew you
Whatever face you wore.
And I learned that face, that voice.

Now it matters not
Whose face you use,
Or how that voice can make me shudder.

I know you now
And you’ve lost the key
To cause me fear or pain.

Now you must know this:
My fury lives, deep within the weariness.
And silence is not an option.

Victoria Adams, © 2020

The person(s) described here have certain common traits.

1. They are never, ever wrong.
2. It is never, ever their fault.
3. Whatever it is, theirs is bigger, better, worse, more amazing than yours.
4. They are vampires of the soul and suck every bit of admiration and affirmation they can find.
5. If you challenge them, you will be cut off—sometimes violently—usually without a great deal of thought or concern.
6. They live in their own world and there is not a force on the face of the earth that will deter them from their perceptions of that world. If you do succeed in providing alternatives; you will only do so by making it their idea.
7. There is no one in the known universe more important than them and that means they can do what they wish to whom they wish and sincerely believe there should be no consequences. In fact, consequences for what, exactly?

I have stories to tell, hard earned wisdom to share. I choose to share these stories, make these judgments, with the full knowledge that there will be those who will not see or understand; but there are others. Others who need to know when to push back, and when to move on. In a world gone mad with so many willing to listen to things that tickle their ears, I choose to speak.