Independence

You used to be my identity.
An embodiment of not who I was
but whom I longed to become.
 
Friendship rarely came easily,
so when you promised you’d
never leave my side
I trusted you.
 
I was wrong.
 
You cast a dark thundercloud
over the sunshine in my life
that drenched me with the tears
I was too numb to cry.
 
You were my greatest mistake
but I’ve grown strong enough
to resist your manipulation.
 
Most of the time.
 
Self-hatred was a diversion
that inhibited me from seeing
the malicious monster you’d hidden
behind the façade of an endearing friend.
 
But I’m paving my way to a better life
where happiness awaits on a silver platter
of the indulgence you forbid me to enjoy.
 
I’ve finally begun to embrace freedom
even if you still cling to the memory
of the little girl you once embodied
who is now an independent woman.