He is your own
personal terrorist.
That he walks the same planet
causes you to sob and shake.

The attacks are subtler now,
like when he appears
for family affairs,
as though “family” were more
than a means to bully others.

But it was so long ago.
His trail from you is cold,
covered by the snow
of selective amnesia.

Memory
is a bomb inside you,
going off, over and over.
You are your own debris.
You are your old teddy bear,
stuffing leaking from the seams.
The little girl inside
still cries into her pillow
from the hurt.

And yet he still moves
freely in the world,
slipping across borders
with his emotional passport.

You cannot let him destroy
your way of life.
You need to unite inside,
forgive yourself,
and bring him to justice.
Otherwise
he has already won.

11/09/2001

Posted on 11/09/2001
Copyright © 2026 Bruce W Niedt