…to no man’s tune

We do not see our foolishness until it is too late to matter
reality falls heavily and I see at last the fool that I have been
I held my dreams close, holding fast
to the promises of our tomorrows
the whispers that told of a future, a life beyond the lies
only to awaken to the truth, long after the final bell had rung
and to the knowledge that our dreams
had faded away with the sinking sun
I was enamoured of you, my knight in shining armour
accepted the crown that you placed upon my head
to find, in my desolation that your knighthood
was nothing but a ruse to win my heart
indeed you were a knave, a jester, a fool in every way
and you weaved duplicity like silk
orated promises from the hidden bones of lies
broke every covenant along with my heart
which now in shattered pieces, lies
and I, a fool, was fooled by your wickedness
I saw the me that you showed me in my mirror
I saw the you, that you posed beside me in the frame
I failed to see the warnings, the first fractures becoming cracks
until the mirror broke to pieces as I stood in ruins
until the image of you that my mind recognised
lay broken on the floor
indistinguishable from the pieces
of my heart and soul, torn and bleeding
the battlefield abandoned but for the casualties of war
I was alone in my dismay, struck with lightning and with shame
left wondering what kind of man you were
to employ such strategies for shallow gains
without regard for all that remains
in the wake of your deception and your cruel selfishness
I stand in the debris of the life I thought was mine
and as I turn to walk away, a fragment of the mirror catches my eye
I see myself made new, lines of sorrow now mark my skin
a trail of tears now fading in the light
I look at the stranger, looking back at me, a woman with my face
the woman is a warrior, a creature of beauty and strength
it seems that she, is the evolution of me
who rose above your treachery and greed
the things that define your need, to discover that indeed
you have nothing that I need
but whilst it was never your intention
you gifted me the greatest boon
the knowledge that I am enough, and that I dance to no man’s tune
© Ann Bagnall