With age comes wisdom, they say
With ages comes knowledge, experience, clarity
With ages comes...


With age comes repeated visits to the past.
Open my eyes, find myself staring at that mirror
A young woman I recognize sitting at the desk
Head down, sobbing like she's lost the world


I want to take her in my arms, tell her
'Everything will be okay, you won't feel like this forever
You'll get better, you'll see.'


I want to yank her off that rocking chair,
Slap her, shake her by the shoulders
Tell her to wake up from the fucking fantasy
That she's still desperately clinging to


Even though it's all been yanked away
The moment he left her
The moment she was released from her prison


Lines shift, colors blur
Font on the computer screen, apologies
Rekindling of something
Rekindling of nothing


Each grabs my arms, pull me in different directions


With ages comes realization, and I
I am no longer that girl crying on my desk


I am the one wanting to slap her
I am the one standing tall
Casting those two men out of my life
And not feeling guilty for something
That I have should known all along