Who Asked You

Let me ask you something. Where were you. No — I'm serious. WHERE. WERE. YOU. I was on the floor and I looked up — empty room Called out for somebody — not one of you moved Swallowed it alone, bled alone, broke alone Built myself back up from nothing — ALONE You saw it — don't pretend — you SAW Walked past the wreckage and you kept going — y'all Didn't text, didn't call, didn't check if I was breathing Just kept living your life while I was barely leaving And NOW — now you got words NOW you got opinions on my wounds You want to talk about who I became — WHERE WERE YOU WHO ASKED YOU — who gave you the right To judge a woman who survived her own fight You weren't in it — you were NEVER in it Don't come near my war — you didn't begin it Why should I say sorry for the warrior I've become When not ONE of you said sorry for the battles that I won NOT ONE — not a word — not a hand — nothing So take your judgement and your pity and stop fronting You think these walls are ugly — you BUILT them Every time you turned away you filled them Every silence when I screamed — another brick Every back you turned — yeah I remember it I didn't get soft because the world was hard I got smart because every one of you left scars So don't stand there with your comfortable little life Judging how I handled mine And NOW — now you got words NOW you got a problem with my fire You want the old me back — the broken one That version died — and YOU supplied the gun WHO ASKED YOU — who gave you the right To judge a woman who survived her own fight You weren't in it — you were NEVER in it Don't come near my war — you didn't begin it Why should I say sorry for the warrior I've become When not ONE of you said sorry for the battles that I won NOT ONE — not a word — not a hand — nothing So take your judgement and your pity and stop fronting You Saw Me Suffering. And you kept walking. I watched you keep walking. And I had to figure it out with shaking hands and nothing and nobody. And I DID. So don't you open your mouth about who I am now. You don't get that. You LOST that. The second you walked away. I survived WITHOUT you I built this WITHOUT you I am everything I am WITHOUT you So don't YOU DARE to judge me now Why should I say sorry for the warrior I've become When NOT ONE OF YOU said sorry for the battles that I won STILL HERE. YOU LEFT AND I AM STILL HERE. And I owe you I owe all of you NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING.