Sui's Haven

He steps through the door,
light spilling in behind him.
He introduces himself
like a well-dressed gentleman.

He sits beside you,
listening to every dream you dare speak of.
He offers words of encouragement
that settle warmly in your heart.

He paints a future worth chasing,
while walking faithfully beside you.
He holds your hand firmly,
lifting you up when you stumble.

And he seems
just like the perfect partner.

Until —

You whisper
that you're too tired to keep on going.

Then you feel
his crushing grip on you.

You fall onto the ground once more,
but he hauls you up again.

You struggle.
You pull.
You beg.
You cry, trying to explain,

amid the crimson pool
of everything that had been torn,
shattered,
shredded.

Yet his steadfast hands
become iron cuffs.

Never letting you fall,
never letting you leave.

He wears the face of an angel,
but he is, in truth —

A tyrant.

A captor.

A jailor.