I default to living in the past,
That way I don’t have to deal with my reality.
I’m constantly hashing up your old sins—
Those are my excuses!

And when I’m feeling over-confident,
I travel to the future—
Of how I would have liked, things to have been.

But sometimes I misjudge,
And end up, back in the present,
And oh how I dread it,
Because it emotionally siphons—
The life out of me.

By: ElRoyPoet © 2020

Your Reality | Award-winning short film on Gaslighting

Commentary: One of the problems is that a lot of toxic relationship habits are baked into our culture. We worship romantic love—you know, that dizzying and irrational kind. Men and women are encouraged to objectify each other and to objectify their romantic relationships. Thus, our partners are often seen as achievements or prizes rather than someone to share mutual emotional support.

Micromanipulation: The Covert Tactic That Narcissists Use in Arguments to Reassert Control

“The more you bring up the past, the longer it takes to heal. Why do you bring up your history, to be justified in your rage, or to rectify it and seek solutions on how not to repeat it—ever again? By: B. Bondsman

“Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us. Do not bring us to hard testing, but keep us safe from the evil one.” Bible, Matthew 6:12