Manipulative - Aethere

Smoke screen distraction

That hides the fire below

An open chest that reflects a truth that was once untold

My insides caught in a wildfire

Unfolded by the strike of a match I continue to hold

The repetition

The consistency

Just as the clock will once again strike 3

Clockwork

Self inflicted as if by expectation

Told by the lies that split my tongue

Ripping and tearing to separate truth from false intentions

Cracked pseudo smile indication of a weary road more/less traveled

The guidance you had given to me

Tell a story that changes like the sea

Inconsistently consistent on the issue of;

me

Overbearing expectation unraveled your bones that I put back in their place

I was undeserving but the gavel fell

Ripped from my chest, my soul was sent to its own personal hell

I sat up and the only conclusion that was clear

Was a sense of desperation

A sense to disappear

I believed every skittish lie that was shoved down my throat

Forced fed betrayal

Told to chew and swallow

Pride

Whether it was age or regret

That false sense of safety

I emerged alone with fresh walls and broken

To lead my life as a ghost that is only comfortable when secluded at night

Your manipulative tendencies

Masked as inexperience and nonexistent self worth

Killed and buried some of the best parts of me in a shallow grave beneath the

dirt