Betrayal by John Ganshaw

A large tree in the middle of green woodland. Large white text reads: Betrayal. Smaller text reads: Discussing disabled characters in fairy tales and folklore.

“I’ll never hurt you” is the phrase I still hear
The lies and untruths that were told
The false accusations that were made
So many people knew your truth
No one spoke up and now I am here
A year in prison because I found out
Even now, I don’t blame or hate 
You did what he told you to do
So now I wait and fight for me
To gain my innocence and be free
All my years I never thought
 I could be so  betrayed
All those times you called me dear
Every word you ever spoke and said
It resonates so loud in my ears 
All these years I never knew 
I kept my promise 
Made your dreams come true
I look back on this past year
Behind bars in a foreign land 
I used to wonder why, but now I know
I still believe he gave you no choice
To save yourself or me
It’s hard for me to know what you’ve done
But I don’t hate you, I guess that’s love
Now I must think about how to rebuild 
To get back what was stolen and took 
I gave you all and had no regrets
I thought I could save you but in the end
The actions of you betrayed us all 
Life will go on that is for sure
The wounds that were caused will never heal
I have forgiven all that was done
I will always remember being betrayed
One thing will never change
I believed in all that you could be
I hope that in the years to come
No one does to you what you did to me

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About the author:
After 31 years in banking, it was time for John to retire and follow his dream of owning a hotel in Southeast Asia.  This led to many new experiences enabling John to see the world through a different lens, leading him to write his story through essays, poetry, and a yet unpublished memoir. John’s work has appeared in Native Skin, Runamok Books/Growerly, Post Roe Alternatives, Empyrean Literary Magazine, OMQ, Open Door Magazine, SCARS poems and short stories, among others.  Nothing is as it seems, and experiences are meant to shape us not define us. Life has hope, truth, and adventure, all leading to stories that need to be written and told.