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      Josh posted an update

      a week ago (edited)

      An Old Trick


      When after many years of loyal

      support and acceptance of her
      quirks and oddities and foibles
      jumping through all the hoops
      responding to every vagary and whim
      squeezing myself into the straightjacket
      she'd forged assuming she owned  
      me — like someone might own a 
      dog they’ve trained as a puppy 
      and expect it to remain loyal 
      forever — without care or question 
      about my right to my own life
      I finally broke the mould 
      that was strangling my soul 
      and choking my heart and at long last
      I set myself free onto a straight path 
      following the undying dream of 
      true love and genuine kinship
      — — —
      that's when she declared me 
      insane 
      treated me as if I’d 
      lost my mind 
      claimed a 
      nervous breakdown 
      wanted to 
      bring me to my senses
      — same old trick used 
      in the 19th century when 
      women who stood up to a 
      domineering husband were 
      declared mad and locked 
      up in a mental asylum for 
      ‘defying domestic control’