Kevin Hart

December 17, 2017

When he cheats on you, don’t cry too long. You will need time to pack.

When he tells you he’s sorry, tell him you know.
When he says that he loves you, blink and then breathe. You may bend, but do not break.
Love is not glue.

He will break you and then return you, and declare that you arrived that way.

Did you hear the one about the robber? He stole hearts, broke homes and laid waste to reason.
Have you seen the tale of the pharmacist? He concocted potions that turned sight and sound to silliness. Telling tales that what was seen and heard was not to be weighed.

Did your mother warn you of the poet? He was a wordsmith, he pulled lines from foul places and birthed stanzas that would stand you.
Up.

Can you recall the mayor who saved the day? He squashed the villain and then laid pillage to his wife.

Were it not for Odysseus’ hubris, Penelope would have welcomed a virtuous man into weary arms.

Young girl, when he fails you, or rather when he is caught failing you, the failure is not yours to share.

Young girl, it is not your hair or your eyes your breasts or your legs, your emotions or your intellect that will keep a man that does not desire to be kept.

There is no equation for a wife. There is no such thing as a whore.
You are not the names he calls you. You are the name you call yourself.

The decision is yours to stay or to leave. The thief will steal your heart. The scholar will talk you out of yourself. The soldier will fight to defend your honor and that of his rib. The wise man will reason with you and try to convince you of your unworthiness. The decision is yours to stay or to leave.

Decide who you are and whose you are.
Decide what you will endure and what you cannot.

Your worth is not a compilation of your suffering. Your strength is not a stamp given by your pain. You will not be rewarded for each time you looked the other way.

Your strength is what you determine it to be. Your resilience is a testament to your natural power. Lay claim and conquer. Should your faith be tested, remember who you are.