tread lightly

I used to let people

use me like

the door mat

in front of homes

 

the ones that say welcome

 

I used to say sorry

like a hello

before I’ve even done

anything wrong

 

I always knew I would

 

you could have

held a knife to my throat

and I’d probably apologize

for bleeding on your shirt

 

I’ve never known how to play the victim

 

I learned the hard way

that when people

walk all over you

their footprints stay

 

even when they don’t