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Poem and Author’s Note
Gaslighting: A Lamentation
Distortions, lies, and the ashes left behind
Cruel to the touch, the heart can only take so much,
Promises sweetened with lips that shame,
A kiss of fire, an inundated rush,
Tricking words to twist and blame,
For the power to control and stake your claim.
Cruel to the touch, the heart can only break so much,
Night bleeds into a painted day,
While secrets lie in darkness and hush,
You dance to a slick rhythm at play,
Lines are crossed on crooked paths in disarray.
Cruel to the touch, the heart can only ache so much,
Broken glass reflects, but images skew,
A mirrored past you cannot trust,
’Cause every scene distorts what’s true,
And love’s integrity quickly fades from view.
Cruel to the touch, the heart can only face so much,
But hope that lies fractures the light,
Can also tear down your faith and corrupt,
Leaving you to wonder if what’s left is right,
Until you realize what’s offered isn’t worth the fight.
Cruel to the touch, the heart can only take so much,
What wisdom teaches through the ashes you’ve discerned
No longer bound by fear’s clutch,
Oh, you always remember when you’ve been burned,
And the scars are hard proof of a life lesson learned.
Author’s Note: Gaslighting is Emotional Manipulation and the Battlefield is the Mind
Gaslighting is a smoldering, distorted version of reality that traps its victims in a world where truth is twisted, emotions are weaponized, and doubt becomes second nature.
I wrote Gaslighting to capture the psychological toll emotional manipulation has on the heart and mind. Therefore, I repeated the lines, “Cruel to the touch, the heart can only take…
