Movin' On Up

I still bear the emotional scars of you,
ugly red welts
that swell up inside
a child
administered a punch
to keep him in line.

Your genes run deep;
are the very core of me
but what you don't see,
in this nature
versus nurture
battle,
is the interest accrued
from the remaining
fifty percent
deposited
in this bank of
the double helix.

I surpassed all forecasts years ago,
shattered that glass ceiling of non-expectation,
threw off those invisible bonds
locked with the key of my own fear.

I live freely.

I was never you,
and you will certainly
never be me.