Abuse
by Gerald L. "Moss" Bliss

 

I was an abuser.
I am not, was not YOUR abuser.
Unlike your abuser
I heard my daughter say NO -- and I stopped
I got help from friends and therapists
I left, so that I could not hurt her again
I apologized to her, and worked with her to be well -- separately
I did not do what was done to you
She forgave me, and so, much later, did I
Why do you need to? it was not you I hurt...
If your abuser did what I have done
You would allow yourself to be loved
and love yourself
and maybe even allow yourself to love him
or stop hating him at least
But you say, "THEY can't change"
And he didn't
So you cannot forgive me... or yourself
How you treat me is abuse too
But of course you're not like that
Hey, I'm not like that either
but of course, I was an abuser,
so you can't believe me
You can't stop me from getting well
or growing
or caring about you
You CAN hurt me, and you do
That in itself shows I'm not your abuser
and makes you mine
I was not the one who made this about "me"
I want to make it about us, together, healing
But it's really about you, hurting
I stopped abusing 27 years ago
I hope you do soon...
 
Written July 6, 2005
copyright ©2005 by Gerald L. "Moss" Bliss