Dear Lover, Goodbye (A letter to my abuser)

Dear Lover,

Because I love you,

I let you walk all over me.

I forgave your infidelity.

I gave you my heart.

You replaced it with yours.

I can hear your comatose whispers.

You forced your grip between my rib cage,

Grasped my heart to extract.

Sound of flesh ripping open,

As you amputated my contact.

Because i love you,

Even though you were choking me,

With the same hands you caressed my face,

Your mouth said awful things,

But had a sweet aftertaste,

I could not leave.

Your hands around my throat,

Suffocated my objections.

Quietly, my reasoning subsided.

Append my voice to your collections.

Because i love you,

I believed it was my fault,

When the accusations flew.

You did not remove your hands,

Until i went blue.

“911 what's your emergency?”

…

Flat lines drown out your apology.

Unconsciousness’ comfort,

Protected me from your lies.

All i heard were sweet lullabies.

Because i loved you,

I overstayed my time.

Resurrected by self worth.

I must escape.

Because i love myself,

This is goodbye.

My deepest sympathy,

your victim