longings of a fighter

 longing for decades

for the validation in front of me

weeping, finally vindicated

for all the years of effort

i react with caution

having been scammed and phished

several times in the past month

and call my family to look

with clearer eyes

no, mom, this probably is not real

although we wish it were

see the email he lists?

your reply goes to him, not

to the company he says he works for

i weep again in longing

but lift my shoulders, okay

there are people who would use

my emotion to make me

a co-operative victim

and that i am not

i am a fighter