Crimson, your poem reads much of laden sadness and reluctance. Love sometimes becomes distorted and misrepresented in relationships when love, respect, integrity and honesty is not reciprocated.

Powerfully penned, Brenda. Excellent write my friend. Nicely done as always. Appreciate you.

Damian

I can sense a shattered emotional connection.

Decaying miserably, upon disrepair.

Healing is what matters the most going forward. x

thank you dearest Adagio for the love on this ❤️

I love the title of your poem. The real truth lies just below the layer of deception…my interpretation.

Your poem makes me first think of the young girls and women abused by Jeffery Epstein. Be it an unhealthy relationship or friendship; subjugated either by physical and/or emotional abuse. However, I can relate to the emotional trauma your poem speaks to in a different way than of my first thought. Every personal experience is different. In my situation, I perceived myself as a bird in a cage. However, the cage had an open door. Faith and courage to extricate myself though the obvious open door was elusive for far too many years. These words best explain my experience…

Soft Murmurs – “One of the hardest goodbyes is when you still love someone, but the relationship is no longer healthy. Your heart pleads to stay, but your soul knows you must leave to protect your light. Staying means waiting for change, effort, and reciprocity. In that wait, you shrink. You accept hurtful words and crumbs of affection, sacrificing your peace for someone who gives just enough to keep you, but never enough to truly value you. Leaving is heartbreaking. You will doubt your choice, but the pain of staying of losing yourself is far greater. You don’t leave because you stopped loving them. You leave because you started loving yourself more. This isn’t an act of anger, but of profound self-respect. You choose peace. You choose yourself. And that becomes the bravest love story you will write.”

Mic Drop!

I love that you’re words are so powerful, damning, shaming – great emphatic poetry: well done you! Harriet-Jacqui Furl, Author.

Why does this make us think of Epstein and his pedophile crew. You took abuse and flowed with it Lady, to freaking tight

I love this. A gut punch, a mic drop, and one hell of a raging fire.