Spotlight Slam Winner
Possessed
First you hide in plain sight,
You're innocent and you're nice,
For once things seem to go right
You tell me you that love me
Then you and kiss and you hug me
And in the blink of an eye, like a thief in the night
You stab my back with a knife!
As I bleed out on the floor
I look at you and ask, "Why?"
Before you walk out the door,
You say it all was a lie!
I see now it was all fake
I had just fell for your bait,
And now it's far too late to change
Because you planned it this way!
You take back every promise,
And you replace it with pain
You were impossibly honest
When you severed my veins
And now I cannot be modest
Whenever I hear your name,
Because when you come upon us
Even love is in vain.
It's just so wretched a thing
That you're doing to me
It never ceases to bring
The things that I never need!
When I'm just trying to help
You take advantage of me
You put my love on the shelf
And just return it with greed
It's a ridiculous waste
All my time spent with you
I try to learn from my past
That's why I'm glad that we're through!
And I am not coming back
Until you come after me
If you did something like that
Your opposite you would be
I'm tired of your filthy ways
Feel like I'm lost in a haze
I stumble all through my days
I just can't stand in your face!
You make me lose all my faith
Feel like I'm stuck in a maze
For you I have only hate!
You're evil you'll never change!
Your name's addiction, depression,
It's binging and purging!
Your name is cutting, self-starving,
Any form of self hurting!
You're a toxic relationship,
The fakest of friends!
And when I say that I don't want you
I swear it's not pretend!
You always are hurting the people I love,
No matter the loss it is never enough.
You'll never stop until they've given up
And then when they do then you take them from us!
You have me addicted but you're not a drug
Your the depiction that I'm not enough
All my affliction from feeling unloved,
But your Intoxication won't cover it up
You got me depressed, I swear you're an illness
I took your advice, all I feel is guiltiness
All my regrets, I know are your filthiness
Leave me alone, this isn't my willingness
You've stolen my soul you're my demon inside
No one has a clue that you hide in my mind
You take all my hope and replace it with lies
until finally die by a suicide!
How long must I wait to be free?
Why can't this be a horrid dream?
If only I could change one thing:
I'm trapped by demons inside me!
-Victor Peredes
Our Poetry Slam winner March 21, 2026 with resounding applause was Victor Paredes. The above poem was just one of the moving pieces read that evening. Victor Paredes is 25 years old, his moving writings are inspired through his life experiences, as well as the catharsis of venting life’s frustrations in the creative and beautiful avenue that poetry offers. Victor is currently celebrating his accomplishment of finishing his training and hitting the roads of adventure as a bona fide truck driver. His writings can be found on his Threads account with the handle below.
Threads: @the_victorp
