YOUR evil grimace YOU think is so sweet.
The painted-on halo glued to YOUR aura.
Please stop spitting lies.
These rumors have to stop.
Please stop cawing out
Those hoarse pieces of what did not happen.
Please don’t grin that pettish smile
In my direction
If YOU’RE spewing out slander
From behind
To my friends
To those I love
To those I respect
To those I know
Or those I don’t
Let my reputation be what I make of it—
What I deserve—
And not what YOU script it to be.
Let my reputation be my fault
Not YOURS.
I am sick of taking YOUR blame where not due
And I’m telling YOU now,
In my mind, in my heart,
Not in that space behind YOUR back,
But just in ears reach.
YOUR rumors shape YOU
And those who believe YOU
Only I get to say who is “me.” So
Please stop pretending that YOU can
Tell people I am trying to absorb all the
Attention if
YOU
Try to tell everyone my story that
YOU
Wrote, if
YOU
Tell me not to tell my BEST friend and I do as
YOU
Ask and if
YOU
Ask to talk to her right in front of me, all the while
YOU
Stare me down and say
YOU
Forgive me and
YOU
Are okay as
YOU
Hold my hand in the lunchroom, telling the world
YOU
Have forgiven me for something
YOU
Did.
YOU
Are not fooling anyone and
YOU
Are forgiven because I am not the Villain.
I
Am
The Victim to
YOU.
Because, just as
YOU
Asked, it’s all about
YOU.