Author: David B Sloan

Sometimes I play the victim, all helpless and in pain.
It might get me some pity, but what else do I gain?
It paints me as the weak one, but that’s not who I’d be
If I stood in my full power and claimed my destiny.

My life does not revolve around another person‘s choice.
I decide who I am, I have the loudest voice.
My love is not defined by the one who turned it down;
She simply could not receive a love this deep and this profound.

So I will hone my loving skills and find a brand new flame —
One who can receive my love and love me back the same.
No longer will I settle for just some scattered crumbs,
For I am not a victim now but one who overcomes.

How did I lose the love we had?
Some days, I blame your choice.
But love can’t live inside a lie—
I silenced your own voice.

I wore the mask of Mr. Right,
And told myself that lie,
While you grew quieter each night,
And love began to die.

I wonder if I made you feel
That you could never speak—
So you pretended all was well,
While growing small and weak.

And when you left without a word,
The silence split my soul.
I felt betrayed—but deep inside,
I know I played a role.

You wouldn’t leave if I had been
The man I swore to be.
But I was blind to all your hurt—
And now you’re lost to me.

Yet through the wreckage, I can see
A gentler kind of grace—
I know you’ll find the joy you need,
And peace in your new place.

And I will heal, and learn to grow—
To love with open eyes.
No more pretending, no more fear,
No more well-dressed lies.

I’m a sad thankful, or a thankful sad,
Mourning the loss of what I once had;
But knowing that losing can become gain,
Because we grow most when we feel pain.

The grief that I feel is making me stronger,
This helps me endure a little bit longer;
Now I look forward to what I’m becoming,
A story of growth that no pain is numbing.

I’ll be what I am because of my loss,
And what I will be is well worth the cost;
So I’m sad to be losing what I once had,
But happy to discover a thankful sad.

Written on Thanksgiving Day 2024

I am a lover separated from his love,
A father who has wounded his children,
A pastor unwelcome in the church,
A professor without a school,
A coach without a team,
An actor without a role.
What am I?
I am Potential.

(c) 2024 David B. Sloan