She entered unbidden,
No knock to herald her arrival,
A specter in my doorway,
And I, a fool, kept it closed.

Yet somehow, she slipped through the cracks,
Clung to my shadow, a relentless ghost,
Her grip a vice I didn’t perceive,
Now bound, I find no solace.

Once, I danced in the sun,
Laughter a melody on my lips,
But her whispers wove a different tune,
And I began to unravel.

She taught me self-hatred,
Stripped my dreams bare,
Left me hollow, an empty shell,
Where joy once bloomed, now despair.

She guided my hand,
To trace lines upon my...