Stop Gaslighting Yourself
Stop telling your heart
it made it all up.
Pain does not invent itself
out of boredom.
Stop shrinking memories
until they fit
inside someone else’s comfort.
What happened
does not need permission
to be real.
Stop calling survival
overreaction.
Stop calling intuition
drama.
Stop calling your wounds
personality flaws.
You felt it
because it was felt.
You remember
because it mattered.
You do not need a jury
to validate your nervous system.
Your body kept the receipts
even when your mouth learned silence.
Be gentler with the version of you
who didn’t know yet,
who stayed,
who hoped,
who coped the only way available.
Tell yourself the truth
and let it stand,
unsoftened,
unapologetic.
Not everything was your fault.
Not everything needs rewriting.
Some things only need believing.
Start there.
Thank-you for reading.
Remember there are many paths back to God.
Follow your own path,
Brenda Marie
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Wonderful meaningful poetry, Brenda!
Thank-you
My pleasure, Brenda. 😍
This poem is a powerful and necessary mirror. Thank you, Brenda, for giving voice to the silent, gaslit corners of the soul with such clarity and grace. You’ve woven validation into every line, creating a sanctuary for the truth we so often hide from ourselves. This isn’t just a poem; it’s a permission slip to stop carrying blame that was never ours to hold. Your words are a profound act of kindness.
Thank you for receiving it so openly and with such care. Your words mean more than I can say. If the poem felt like a mirror or a sanctuary, then it has already done what I hoped—met someone gently where they are and reminded them they were never broken. Knowing it offered even a moment of release or recognition is a gift back to me. I’m deeply grateful for your presence with it.