Then and Now

You say you still love me and want me but you don't know me anymore

Although the person I am now is different, somehow I am better than before

You loved me then, so you say, but the bruises and tears say differently

You could never love me now because now you would not get away with how you treated me

The hurt and pain you put me through doesn't compare to any other experience

That includes me getting shot, being in jail, and every courtroom appearance

You are a manipulator, I admit back then you got into my head

There were times I thought that if I stayed with you I would end up dead

Look at me now I am so much smarter and more beautiful than before

I hear you were in prison for a while, they say you're not on your feet anymore

For me the journey has been rough but I stand on solid ground

I have faith, I am sober now, and salvation I have found

Because of you I suffer many consequences, even on this very day

I try not to blame you but I know you are the reason my life is this way

I do take responsibility for my own actions and for being so naive

You were the center of my world then but now I have goals I am going to achieve

My children know I am better now they see it in my eyes

My family knows I have changed my ways they no longer hear my lies

I am more responsible now but that is something you never will be

I told you back then, "one day you will regret how you are treating me"

You never appreciated me and you took my kindness for weakness

I guess that is what caused me to be bitter, on the bright side it contributes to my uniqueness

If it wasn't for you I never would have developed my hustling skills

I now have a new talent that helps me buy nice things and pay my bills

If it wasn't for you disrespecting me I wouldn't have learned to stand up for myself

I now refuse to be abused, mistreated or put up on the shelf

So you see I am different now from how I was back then

I don't think we are compatible now you are sadly mistaken