Victim Mode

You say they drained your open cup,

Yet tilt it first, then hold it up,

You taste the thirst, then cast the blame,

While you’re the leak that drains the flame.

You say they never saw you whole,

But smear your edges to control,

You twist your light to match their hue,

Then cry: they never saw what’s true .

You trace the bruise and call it fate,

Guide the hand, then name the hate.

You hide your pulse, then point and shout:

They pulled away, they shut me out.

You blame the past, then reenact,

Repeat their words as if they’re fact,

But what you say becomes your cell, 

And you’re the one who speaks it well.

But every tale you twist to hide,

Will carve its truth on you inside,

The mask may fool the world you show,

But shadows mark the one who know. 

Cathrine Hottran 2025