When people hurt me, I want to turn away. Who doesn’t? Most of us don’t WANT to stay in a situation where we’ve been hurt. And when we bump into people who’ve hurt us before, we’re not exactly delighted to see them.

What do you see when you look at me

Hunched and broken under the tree

Holes in my shoes and stench in the air

No shower to wash my scraggly hair

I slept in the woods as you drove by

You glanced, but didn’t hear my cry

It’s strange living as a first gen in the Experiential Age. Our brain is fed a steady diet of images about relationships, body image, career, health, success, achievements, education, caretaking, knowledge, ambition, comparison, living circumstances, best life practices, and on and on.

Betrayal is bitter. It could be a sibling, a spouse, or a friend. It could be a coworker or boss. It could be our child. It could be ourselves. Betrayal comes in many shapes. And the sting is deep when it happens to us.

Head held high, chin up

All is right with me

So full, so correct

It’s all that I can see