The Autocrat

I was a ghost in the walls of your house
Trickling in the background but never in view
I was a murmur beneath the weight of your voice
Your comforts landing like nails on mu skins

Thank you for letting me go
I didn't have the courage to leave on my own
You were the broken lock I tried to turn with broken keys
The fix always dangled, just out of reach

Your shadow was a garden where nothing could bloom
But I watered the dirt and waited for truth
Every word was a tether, wrapped tight 'round my bones
I was the silence beneath your heavy sighs

The door was always open (yet I stayed)
The light red and dim (too scared to walk out, too scared to give in)

Thank you, thank you for letting me go
I didn't have the courage to leave on my own
You were the broken lock I tried to turn with broken keys
The fix always dangled, just out of reach

I would've stayed in your arms, convinced of your grace
Comforted, as the heat slowly rose
And I wore the shackles like a crooked grin
And I wore the chains like a second skin
Praying that love would let me in

I want to thank you for letting me go
The path was twisted, but my heart knew every turn
Your shadow still lingers, but it thins as years go by
I pass the ruins, no longer bound to their story