THEY told me I was too small. Too loud. Too quiet. I was eating my food all wrong.
HE told me that’s just human nature. It’s a dog eat dog world. He told me I wasn’t aggressive enough. I had to toughen up. And yet, he told me to tell no-one.
SHE taught me I was too clever for my own good. It was better to keep my mouth shut.
THEY told me i was too nice. I couldn’t understand why consderation of others was regarded as a weakness. I tried to live by example, but gave in. I even became ‘bad’ for a brief moment and hated myself even more.
I taught MYSELF to suffer in slence and in time, my self-loathing was complete. Soon the whole world would walk all over me.