Cleansed

What stains cling to the mind
as the filth of mistakes
the recriminations of voices
you trust out of dependency,
but they only wanted to scar and hurt.

Yet their woes are also from youthful times
another dreaded gem of self abuse
polished and refined it is presence
so it almost seems like treasure
in one’s perceptions that are expressed.

It is never easy to stop reliving insanity
toss aside those claws that remain
from the moments that dug at the gut
that butchered innocence and ruined dreams.

But what joy arises from the freedom
when we can finally move to the light,
which shines from inside as our own sun
sees life in ourselves without blaming others
while vowing to enjoy true liberty
and not keep being burdened
by whatever was a parent’s frailty.

True victory is not the absence of wounds
or the pride of not allowing
what came before to control your life,
rather it is the simple joy
felt by moving on and out of the range
of the ghost who once controlled each morning.