I had it all planned out.

I'd written the speech in my head -

direct, striking, and sharp as a knife.
The words I should have said
would have had such a bite
and packed such a punch
that you'd never have questioned me again.

How wrong was I.

But those weren't the words I said.

When you spoke, it came as a shock -
the shock wasn't part of the plan,
and those words tumbled out of my head.
Instead, I mumbled an excuse
and ran for the door.

When I wrote that speech in my head, I swore
I wouldn't let you get the better of me this time.