Groomed

Once upon a time,

I believed I was a princess

held captive in an ivory tower;

I must have been four or five.

There came a time when protection was rescinded

the mad King made his move

and no longer was I the pretty princess

I had become a child to mold.

My self loathing, my desire to hide

took me down roads no one should travel.

No woman should believe that her worth

is based upon sexuality.

I crept and crawled, pulling myself along

consecrated land

While the demons within wailed and fought

to be free.

I explode free from notions and conceptions

I retain the right to mold myself

to come back from the horror within.

©Jay-lyn Doerksen

May 7/17