Love - Follow Your Future

You'll never know how I felt,

The day you marked my heart with a welt.

I felt beaten and ashamed, angry and in pain,

With not a single person to whom I could explain.

People may say words cannot hurt me,

But Darling, your words ceaselessly stabbed my spirit.

Day by day you told me I'm worthless and dumb,

Now the only thing I feel is numb.

My heart bled for you until my body and soul bled dry,

And I died as you left me, lonely to cry.

As I look in the mirror with mascara running down my face,

I see nothing but emptiness, hearbreak, and disgrace.

If there is one thing I learned from you and one thing I know,

It is that there are many people to whom my life I owe.

My sister stopped the bleeding which you caused,

While my parents showed my what unconditional love looks like.

My friends held my hand and showed me the way,

My dogs helped me see that it can be a beautiful day. 

Time went on and I look in the mirror once again,

Only this time I see a glipse of what I used to be. 

I see a beautiful girl with ambition in her eyes.

I see a mind yearning for knowledge and excited for what in the future lies. 

I see a girl who has a bounce in her step,

A girl who is tough and has wept.

This girl has confidence again, that is obvious to see,

The real question is, what does love now mean to me?

Love means freedom, trust, and respect.

These are virtues I have come to expect.

Love means being open while still having boundaries. 

Why some don't respect this still confounds me.

Love means listening and paying attention,

It's about acceptance and understanding without dissension.

This girl appreciates love in its purest,

because this girl has survived "love" at its foulest. 

If there is one thing I can say, 

Having had come from the most horrendous of days,

It's that you can survive anyone (or anything) who tries to kill your spirit,

As long as you have faith that you have the strength to live through it.

It's cliche to say, "follow your heart,"

Instead, I say, "follow your future." 

Follow the person you wish to be.

Become the person you have always looked up to.

This life is hard, and true love is no exception,

However, look in the mirror and you'll find direction.

I know this is difficult, tiresome, and consuming,

But the reward in the end is the chance to love and be loved completely.

You'll know when you are strong enough to open that door.

But trust me, I have now seen both sides to this feeling called love,

And it is worth it when your soul finds peace and feels light as a dove.