Love Is Abuse
This poem was written by Sarah Stevenson, who is a BSW student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and an intern at Market Your Mind Services, and performed by spoken word artist Shalesha Smith, who is an MSW student at Winthrop University. These words are a portrayal of how Market Your Mind supports teen girls who are at risk or victims of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking in creating positive transformation in their life as they grow from victims to survivors and survivors to survivor leaders.
Poem by Sarah C. Stevenson
(Note: This is a reverse poem. It is meant to be read from top to bottom and then from the bottom back to the top.)
Love is abuse
And I will never again believe that
I am valuable and worthy of love
I know that
Nobody will ever feel the pain that I feel
Even when it seems like
Everything is going to be ok
I constantly remind myself that
I somehow deserve everything that is happening to me and this is all my fault
When I find myself thinking that
I am strong and beautiful
I know that
This couldn’t be further from the truth
Because
I am worthless
I refuse to believe that
Love is respect
And
People really do love and care about me
The world has shown me that
Nobody knows me better than me
Even though
I am misunderstood, alone and forgotten
I do not believe that
I am a survivor
Sarah C. Stevenson is a BSW student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is an intern at Market Your Mind Services.