I See Me Differently

 

You will look at me 

Lovingly, as always 

It will not feel the same 

I  see me differently 

You will try to protect me 

As you always have 

But something has shifted  

I see me differently 

You will say I am strong 

But all I feel is the weakness 

This fracture tries to define me 

I see me differently 

You will point out 

Where I am powerful 

But I see a powerless moment 

That made me see me differently 

How could everything change 

So quickly, so violently 

One solitary event on one night 

Now, I see me differently 

Where I was once so carefree 

Now I am guarded and careful 

This thing became a hinge 

Now, I see me differently 

Some will give it different names 

Rape victim, Rape survivor 

In time, the labels will fade 

Still, I will see me differently 

One day, I will see me 

Not through this lens 

But through the healing that followed 

Still, for now 

I see me differently 

© Ron Simpson Jr. 

June 20, 2025