HAUNTED
By Veronica Park

I wanted you to see me
For more than I was.
But when you finally saw me
It was only because
I said NO. HELL NO. NEVER.

You said I was pretty.
Looking back, that was true.
Those days I didn’t see it
Which is why I went with you.
Why I finally, eventually said OK. YES.

Then when you revealed
What you wanted from me,
I realized you weren’t
Interested in pretty.
You just TOOK. And HURT. And EMPTIED.

And now that I’m older
Now I realize,
You never believed I was
More than a prize.
I was a BODY.

These days, I am HAUNTED
With the ghosts of that pain,
Unsure if I’ll ever be able
To hold light or joy again.
I am BROKEN. HOLLOW. USED.

CONDEMNED.

But you… you’re free to keep wandering,
Seeking out pretty new places to demolish
The same way you wrecked me.