Goodbye, Safety

by Marissa Stride Axley Award Winner

I’d like to take a moment to say goodbye. Goodbye, Safety.

Safety was a good friend of mine for a while. She stayed with me until she was forced to leave.

I begged her not to go, but she had no choice.

She was being pushed out by someone who they called Unsafe. Unsafe came into my life like a wrecking ball.

He kicked Safety out as soon as he could, trying to make me believe she was never there.

He told me to dress a certain way, or he’d stick around.

He told me to act a certain way in front of men, or he’d stick around.

He told me to think a certain way, or he’d stick around.

What he never told me, was that he’d be around anyway. He didn’t only trap me, but everyone around me too. Mostly Safety.

She’s been locked up for years by him.

Said to never escape again. But what Unsafe doesn’t know, is that every now and then, She’s able to sneak up on me, for a moment or two.

When I’m with my parents, My best friend and her family, And my brother, I feel her presence. Unsafe may have locked her away, But she still sends me messages, that I get to hold, Even if only for a moment. So yes, this is a goodbye to her. But sometimes, goodbyes are temporary.