To Those Who Liked Me Better Before

To those who liked me better before,
It wasn’t me you liked, but your idea of me

To those who liked me better before I left Evangelical Christianity,
It wasn’t me you liked, it was your doctrines and ideologies

To those who liked me better before I escaped high-demand religion,
It wasn’t really me you liked, but control

To those who liked me better before I said “No”,
It wasn’t me you liked, but obedience

To those who liked me better when I fit the mold,
It wasn’t me you liked but an abused version of me

To those who liked me better before I changed,
It wasn’t me you liked but predictability

To those who liked me better when I “fit in”,
It wasn’t me you liked but the absence of me

To those who liked me better when I agreed with you,
It wasn’t me you liked but an echo chamber

To those who liked me better when I looked like you,
It wasn’t me you liked but your own reflection

To those who liked me better before,
You never really liked me at all, you liked you