castigated for decades
your presence awakens
my defenses
and like a threatened creature
the sparse remnants
of my esteem are fortified
every word you speak
every thought you think
laced with criticism
a delusional antagonist
you deny all responsibility
for your deception
a counterfeit seduction
you only revealed the facade
the shroud that
concealed the nefarious narcissist
what was it in me
that captivated you
was it my fragility
vulnerability
or insecurities
that aroused your
internal predator
the sea in which we capsized
is vast and treacherous
and you constantly pull me
under the waves
enticed by my
<span;>defensiveness
my only hope
for prosperity and restoration
is to withstand this tempest
as an impenetrable void
withdrawn in protest
against the victimization
of my integrity
all sentiment between us
has long ago
vacated my soul
the advent of my
capability to love anew
will comence when I resolve
to love myself
