Strength

by M. Elaine Moore

She sees his face
    in the cracks of a crystal ball.
Distorted, broken dreams,
    the jagged edges of a false reality.
Painful truths, lessons learned….
Never trust, never believe, never love.
Somehow, she survived him intact.
She breathed with her heart ripped out,
    and stood defiantly on the other side,
         facing the world with jaded cynicism.
She fears for those who stand before him.
She pities those left in his wake,
    destroyed by his deception,
         eviscerated by his charm.
Yet despite him, because of him,
    She has found strength.