Prison without bars

A few of my poems are based on emotional abuse, for obvious reasons.

Until I was in my mid-30s, I regularly faced emotional abuse in one form or another from different sources, and it has left  huge scars, even to this day. Unlike with physical abuse, you cannot see the scars.

In my youth, it came from a member of my family and then from bullying at school. In adulthood, it came from a person that I should have been able to trust. Of course, once it has started, you begin to think that it is normal behaviour, and it opens you up to more of the same. (Perhaps you even seek out the same because it is familiar to you.)

In my mid-30s, I had a complete emotional breakdown. Slowly, I was put back (and put myself back) together, and I was a different person. I won't be bullied, and although I don't always fight it, I do walk away and won't ever go back to it. It is also what drew me to the teaching jobs I did and the type of pupil I taught. It was what made me damn good at my job too.

My poem, inspired by the orjay prompt Prison without Bars:

He tells her she's stupid
That her dress shows too much
A prison without bars? Yes...but
Familiarity's her crutch

AE