Heading Down Stream

for so long
the water was muddy,
murky,
full of dirt and sludge.
it leaked
in brown green swirls
of deceit and lies,
all pouring out
daily
from her rusted pipes,
her infected
mind.
old fish floated
dead on the surface.
nothing was clear
until I got
downstream
away from her.
suddenly the water
was cool
and kind, refreshing.
you could drink it again.
there was life inside,
below
the water line.
there was
the clarity of soul,
how quickly I drank
and took back myself,
something that I should
never have given,
for it
was always mine.