He enjoyed taking away the things I loved,
The objects and ideas I took comfort in.
The poison that spat from his lips every time he spoke was deadly,
Killing and destroying everything within its path.
He spoke of himself as if he were a God,
Someone who deserved to be worshipped and rewarded for every action he took throughout the day.
He enjoyed putting others down,
Ranting on the world that existed around him.
He was a bastard,
Hidden behind an expert façade of "hardworking" and "blue-collared".
I hated him with every fiber of my being,
As did he to me.
I would be grateful for the things he provides my family and I with,
But that does not require my love and compassion.
He was no father of mine,
Regardless of the actions and words he provided me with.
He did not love me,
He loved the idea of being the "picture perfect family".
We were no perfect family,
We were the definition of dysfunctional and broken.
My mother claimed they were getting separated,
The perfect result in my mind.
He destroyed her,
And yet,
She acted as if he was a god.
The perfect cheerleader for a man who deserved anything but,
The man who hissed poison that stung as it landed in her already gaping wounds.
A separation would've been the perfect result,
But who were we kidding?
My mother was weak,
She'd never leave him.
Regardless of what she claimed,
We'd always be stuck in this cycle of anger and bitterness.
Poison awaiting at every corner,
As the snake waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.
For that's what snakes do,
Attack and watch as its prey crumbles before him.
I was the new prey,
The exact prey that would never succumb to his clutches.
I was not weak,
I was stronger than those around me.
The bird waiting in its cage,
Awaiting for the perfect opportunity to flee.
For I would flee from the poison,
flee from the hate-filled cage that surrounded me.
I would fight until the last breath left my lungs,
For I am a fighter.
A fighter in the ring,
Going against the snake that hid within the bushes.
It would never strike me again,
For if it did,
It would see that the snake is nothing without its poison.
