- when he says you aren’t capable
- when he says you’ll surely fail
- when he says you owe him everything
- You don’t.
- and how he never, ever was.
- that wasn’t poetic
- but really, as soon as you can afford it, go to therapy
- a soul educated in the ways of the mind
- can help untangle your hurts
- far better than you can alone
- build your own home. your sanctuary.
1. save every cent that comes into your hands
2. construct walls outside your ears
3. so his shouting doesn’t penetrate too deep
4. don’t believe him
5. take a job. take another job.
6. buy a new phone on your own plan so he can’t track you
7. Leave him.
8. build a new foundation around your heart
9. and ignore his texts
10. when he begs you to come back
11. remember how you slaved away to make him happy
12. Go to therapy.
13. don’t look back at him
14. beware of the lies told by photos, moments rent from memory
15. find a better job
16. don’t be just a number
17. And never, ever, go back.
About the Creator
Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA
Writer, bookworm, sci-fi space cadet, and coffee+tea fanatic living in Brooklyn. I have an MS in Integrated Design & Media and an MFA in Fiction from NYU. I share poetry on Instagram as @SleeplessAuthoress.
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More stories from Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA and writers in Poets and other communities.
5 Love Poems for Hearts Already Captured
So much of what we capture in poetry is strong emotion. There’s a lot of love going around, but love poetry often seems to gravitate to the less happy spectrum of romance. If I had a penny for every poem about heartbreak I’ve ever read (or written myself, I’m just the same as you), I’d be a very rich woman.
By Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA8 months ago in Poets
Comments (1)
Doing everything to make him happy but still not being enough was so relatable. Loved your poem. I've followed you on Instagram hehehe