Ashley Hyder

I remember the day we met.
Too young to see the danger.
I didn't know the devil you were,
That you'd fill me with so much anger.

At first you gave me comfort,
Numbed me from the pain,
But the light you gave me faded,
Brought blackness to my veins.

Your trap worked as always.
I am not the only one to fall.
So many friends forever gone now;
No one's left to call.

Dragged me to rock bottom,
Each day a life in hell anew,
Felt there was no possibility
Of breaking this dependence on you.

Every day I woke
With only you on my mind,
Desperate for your love,
More desperate for you to die.

Through time I saw you were evil.
I watched you steal my soul.
Each time I tried to get away,
You would not let me go.

Tried to scream and cry,
Eventually accepted my fate.
Everyone had tried to warn me,
And now it was too late.

Family and friends could never understand,
Couldn't hear my silent plea.
They did not want to see
The sick effect you had on me.

You locked me in a cell.
You made me freeze at night,
Made me deceive those I loved,
Made me live in constant fright.

Left broken, battered, and bruised,
My number of scars grew.
Both physical and mental,
While the number of wasted years flew.

Went through the motions like a zombie.
No longer did I see
Any type of future
In this world for me.

You erased any shred of hope
When everyone turned their backs.
Difficult to escape this dark hole and cope,
Impossible to defend against your attacks.

I knew no church, no God.
YOU, my ultimate power.
No way to know real love.
I was now a rotted, dead flower.

Then one day it happened.
Most amazing hope one moment brings,
And I decided then and there
That I would grow my wings.

No longer will you take from me
Like you have stolen all these years.
You will never take my life.
No longer will I cry these tears.

I will deal with the pain.
I will swallow all my pride.
I will deal with my life of rubble.
I'm prepared for this difficult ride.

If it kills me to leave you,
Then I will gladly die,
Because with you I'm only surviving,
And I have been destined to fly.

I will soar, laugh, and smile,
Will breathe my life once more.
I will go back to a time
Before you came knocking at my door.