The Dog Barks Back

finally the meaning of the 'past’
reveals itself in a sudden downpour
of warmth running down her spine.
she can see how it happened.
stupid empathy exploited, disarmed,
savaged to account for things it
didn’t cause or consider.
wrong-footed, stupid-headed.
empathy for the underdog with a fist,
a slap across her face that left her jaw clicking.
that silenced her ambitions.
sentenced for his thefts from her,
who she was, when she was,
those lost years, her personal toxic
shock syndrome.
without cowering, forgetting to eat or
wishing to forget
she remembers it all.