I got out when I had to
When staying grew too painful
Severed ties, lost contact
A deliberate isolation
To be free of their tender,
Merciless clutches, to be
Forever something else,
Aloof, someone untouchable
It didn’t work. Persistence
Persevered through time
And trials, their will
To find some crevice
To lever an unarmoured
Chink in my still-
Fragile shell, their hooks caught
My skin, to dangle
Once more struggling,
Hungry with anger
At fresh bait and old lures
For fish who should know better
Katherine Shirley 