Candy Wrapper

Yesterday I ate a Tootsie Roll
The first one I have eaten in years
It was hard not to think of of you
And what you put me through

I did not get sick
As I feared I would…

So menacing and yet innocent
Was that little blue Tupperware bowl
You kept the candy sealed under a lid
To keep fresh for when you needed it

I am loathe to think
The rest of the candy did not go stale
After opportunity shut the door
In your face

I still remember the sound
Of how that candy wrapper crinkled
In my hands that day
Yesterday’s wrapper sounded the same

I did not get sick
As I feared I would…

There was no one to hold me down
As I threw the new wrapper away
The candy no longer yields fear
And I am not obsequious to anyone now

Many years have passed
Through the darkness I finally found courage
But I’ll never forget the sound
Of that candy wrapper crinkle

I can now face the past
There was a light in the darkness
With the light I found inner strength
To enjoy what used to make me sick