A Version of us

You remained quiet when you were supposed to fight—
push, punch, scream—do something.
Then sit there and play a victim,
making me seem like a dog starved for its next feast,
prowling for weakness.

I won’t do it.
I do not yield.
I will not let you be the bystander
in a story we created.

Peace is the path I wish to stand in.
I stand like the silent bear,
hovering behind the cub she was blessed with—
watchful, unshaken,
and ready to be the villain you crave me to be.

You are not the martyr.
I will not allow you to be
a defenseless rabbit
caged by a ravenous animal.

I won’t allow you to call my happiness
a sacrifice anymore.
When I had built myself
in honor of your happiness…

I had birthed it with love,
nurtured with care,
raised it devotion.

For you to say I was never enough,
when I sacrificed myself for the love
you see as the destruction of your world—
you forfeited your place
in the peace that I carry.