Poison

You are the poison
That took me beyond strong
When you pushed me
To reason
A losing battle
The lost cause
That was my pride

Your addiction
To being needed
Fueled my independence
The need to not need
When sanity is perched
Precariously
In your cruel hands

I was right
More times than I could count
But you made it seem wrong
To be right
I learned not to fight
When justice
Resides
In your fickle mind

I should be mad
There should be
Righteous indignation
But as I see you now
I know
That your power over me
Was the power I gave you

There is no acrimony here
As I recover that power
Because if not for you
I would not be who I am
And who I am is strong
And resilient
Equal to any storm

From your twisted regime
I learned to bend
So no matter the outcome
I might be thanking you
Until the end.