I AM STILL HERE - Emily Tharpe

This book is a raw, intimate exploration of love, control, survival, and healing. It begins in the soft places-where love feels magical, promises feel real, and a future is built on hope. But slowly, quietly, cracks appear in the foundation. Words become weapons. Doubt grows. The person who once felt like home begins to feel like a cage.

Through free verse and deeply personal reflections, the poems trace the psychological toll of narcissistic abuse-the gaslighting, the apologies for things that were never your fault, the excuses made for someone you loved, and the slow erosion of confidence and identity.

Yet this is not only a story of pain.

It is also the story of waking up.

As the collection unfolds, fear begins to loosen its grip. The voice of the narrator grows stronger, clearer, and more certain. What once felt like weakness reveals itself as resilience. The poems move from confusion and heartbreak toward clarity, self-trust, and the powerful moment when you realize:

you are not scared anymore.

At its heart, this book is a message to every person who has lived through hidden abuse:

You were never weak. You were surviving. And you are not alone.