Aftermath by Isobel Dixon (17, United Kingdom)

Before
Life was simple.
The air was clear.
I was happy;
I had life-
it was what I wanted.
 
Without warning you
pounced.
You were a thief.
You stole
irreplaceable essence.
With that, I changed.

---

A hollowed mould I became. You
callously hacked at what was left
of nothing. From bruised to broken.
To open my clouded eyes was no pleasure,
but a heavy,
weighed
burden.
 
The silence was deafening,
the loudness unheard of.
The guilt a ringing doom
of which you cast upon me.
I had no right to hold on yet
no right to let go. Impossible thoughts
were all that remained from your
fatal blow.

After
Two years ago,                                                                          
You changed my life.
Forcing extremities of feelings
on my mind,
inside my heart,
upon my soul.
 
My mind ached and my heart
hurt to beat.
I wanted me dead.
For months. No one
knew. I dragged
that in my thoughts.
That’s what you did.
Not only pushed me
to the ground, but
made me wish I
was six feet under it.
 
No more.
 
I changed.
 
Then I changed again.
 
Now, my strength is
impeccable, undeniable,
I am powerful, grateful,
bursting with potential that
you simply cannot touch,
cannot taste, cannot reach.
As if I’d let you anywhere
near me.  

My soul is cracked
but healing. My posture
upright once more and
the colossal weight
of the thoughts
of you dissipate.
 
My eyes clouded
no longer. I choose to see
the world (of which you’re
no longer a part of)
through rose-tinted glasses.
Not out of naivety,
but out of hope that love
is real.
 
How I feel is my choice.
You once dictated
my heart and my tears and my fears
but NO MORE.
 
I am more powerful
than you, I am better
than you. I have
defeated you.
And make no mistake
of this, read my lips:
You did not win.
Love did.