This is a submission for Kevinβs No Theme Thursday.

Whatβs the story behind that sinister grin?
Enough to raise the hair under your skin
Tales of torture live behind those eyes
Angelic disguise to conceal all the lies
Whatβs an innocent person supposed to do?
Masquerading in plain sight, a deadly truth
Dreadful revelations that canβt be explained
Energetic voids that will leave you drained
Beware the deception through their teeth
Amidst the faΓ§ade they hide underneath
Trust your intuition, it wonβt lead you astray
Alarm bells ring, heed the message conveyed
Insidiously, it seeps in – a feeling deep within
Tricks before your eyes, almost like a sin
When they wonβt part, and incessantly stay
Call out their transgressions, or simply walk away
If you think of leaving, theyβll make you pay
βYouβre wrong,β theyβll argue, to sway you their way
Manipulate to control, they accuse you once more
The final choice is yours – to walk out the door
Β©οΈ Laura Bennett
Ever have a feelingβ¦that feeling, that you know someone is full of bullshit but you keep on nodding your head?
Stop doing that.
That person is draining you and your energy.
You donβt have to keep tolerating them.
Shut the door.
If that person is emotionally or mentally manipulative, is always dramatic, always has a problemβ¦
Itβs them. Not you.
Once you sense somethingβs amiss, itβs time to GTFO. It can often be right under our nose, in plain sight.
Save yourself time and reclaim your energy.
Happiest start of the new week to you all!
π P.S. – Not all nurses are evil. You thought this was gonna be an ode to Nurse Ratched, didnβt you? π

Good stuff, Laura.
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Thank you so much, Yassy! π π π
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π€π
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Some nurses though… Lookout. Especially those smiling while they hold needles. π
I know all too well “that feeling” and I think I’ve finally learned that all-important lesson of trusting my instincts when the bulls*t alarm goes off.
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Yeah some of us arenβt the nicest all the time. Cough lol.
It takes a lifetime sometimes to hone instincts. Nothing worse too when something comes along to fuck it up! Ugh
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A lot of spot on wisdom to unpack here. Very eloquently stated, m’lady. A truly magnificent job. Thank you ππ
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Thank you so much, kind sir π₯° glad you thought it was eloquentβ¦here I was wondering if it was garbled after no sleep all night π€£ and thank you for a lovely image π always perfection β€οΈ
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Not at all. You expressed it quite perfectly π
And as always it is my absolute pleasure π
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Brilliant poem Laura π. Sad, heartfelt, and yes! Iβve certainly had βthat feelingββ¦and eventually GTFO!
Iβm glad to hear that βnot all nurses are evilβ π
Have a fab week, Laura β¨ππ
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Glad you listened to your instincts and GTFO, Sara π thatβs very important too. And thank you βΊοΈ so kindly π π€ and yes, letβs be thankful not all are evil π€£
Hope your week is starting off well!
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My pleasure, Laura! π
Iβm working on my next βmasterpieceβ π€£π€£, itβs keeping me busy!! I hope your week is going well π€ππ»
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Ooohh I canβt wait to see it!! π β¨ π¨
π getting off work here shortly, and then one more night left! π₯³ yess and Iβm hoping itβs a calm one ππ€
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I hope it is a calm one for you as well π€. And then time for rest and π₯³π
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Well said. It can definitely be easy to sometimes fall under the thrall of energy vampires. Thanks for the reminder to break free π
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I love how you said this too. Sometimes they can dazzle with all their glitz and charm, but when the real demon is revealedβ¦ugh.
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Can’t tell if it’s intentional or not, but I love how it’s like two poems entwined in one. Have a great week Laura! βπ
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Thanks so much, Daniel! π it was intentional, to send another message, although I think I did a better job with the βOut of the Ashesβ poem I had where I used the same sort of style. Thanks for noticing! π Hope your week is going swell so far! β¨ βοΈ
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Aa horror fan, I feel pleasantly horrified ππΉπ§ββοΈπ§
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Ahh yesss, excellent π Iβm glad youβre a horror fan! Me too! And Iβm glad that was able to come through π―οΈπ»π¦β¨πββ¬
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Brilliant poem. Nodding my head in parts. As for the image, the nurse looks partly related to the Joker. So… I think I will give the appointment a miss. π
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Youβre right on the money with that one, Liz. I definitely thought she had that βJokerβ smile too from the get-go. Haha!!! π€£ no appointment for anything, not with that syringe and that grin! π
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πππ
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Stop it, Laura. You’re scaring me! π«£πΉ
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Iβm sorry!! π€£ donβt you like a bit of horror? π πββ¬ β¨
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Love it, but prefer you as lovely Catwoman. π€£
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There will be one of those later today lmao π€£ and thank you!! π
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Sounds like you ran into a narcissist at some point there Laura, the world is probably abound with them at this point! Watch out especially for those covert ones, they are harder to spot & potentially more dangerousπ€―! keep calm and carry onβ. Hope you are all well Laura and life is good…Best, Jayπ
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Hey Jay! Happy to hear from you π hope all is well your way βοΈ things are good yes, and unfortunately I encounter the ugly mental health aspects everyday at the job. π«£ *hides* lol. And yes there are quite a few that are covert, too. Definitely more of the βvictimβ with those. Itβs sad but what you said is probably right, thereβs more out there now then probably ever. Thank you again, Jay. π π βοΈ Have a great week!
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Hi Lauraπ. Yes all well here thanks. Just sat down with a morning coffeeβ and looking outside at our first big snowfall of the year. I am warning the already aware then it seems, as you seem to know exactly what I mean…yes they are often the victim and will have you running around all over for them, until you become aware of the game. Hope the Sun is still shining in Floridaπ! It is chilly here now. You are very welcome! You too Laura…have a great oneβππ. Best, Jay
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Brilliantly written Laura .
Sadly relatable but yes,I did GTFO π€
Have a great week lovely πΉβ€οΈπ₯°
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Oh Maggie, Iβm so glad you did!! π€ good for you, being strong πͺ yes it is sad itβs relatable, we all have our stories it seems. πΉβ¨ hope your week is going well lovely π₯° β€οΈ
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I hope yours is going well too lovely β€οΈπ€
Onwards and upwards Laura ππ»ππΉ
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Even a harlequin must bear pain to grow and smile for us but not at the cost of their dignity.
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This just reminded me of Harley Quinn, who does happen to be one of my favorite DC characters. To true, too! β οΈβ¦οΈβ£οΈπ
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I like her too, very based character.
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Great words!! I knew you would pick this pic when I saw it in Kevinβs NTT postπ€
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Haha!! Thank you Javi! π€£ you must know me well by now with what picture I choose lolol. π thank you. I hope all is going well for you this week! β¨π
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π Getting in. Not completely yet (and neverπ). Great 11-holiday-week that ends today, with this intuition promptβ¦π₯Έπ Coincidence? Who knows! So busy but because so many plans achieved. Soon written within my blog site (just the stories I can share for public, of course π€π€π). Hope you are having a good start of the week too!!!
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Great stuff, Laura. Well done.
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Thank you so much, John! π
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π
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Yep. Sometimes shutting the door is best. Love you, Girl.
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Youβre right, Mary β€οΈ wisest thing we can do sometimes to preserve our sanity. π Lots of love your way! π₯°
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A bit frightened at first, yes, but your well-crafted message is solid. ππ» Thank you, Laura and a lovely week to you! ππ»ποΈ
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Thank you Michele! π I do appreciate that and thank you so much for the peace vibes ποΈ βοΈ we can always use more of those β¨π
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You’re very welcome and great appreciation for you and your posts. ππ»π
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Def always trust your gut!
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I feel itβs the one thing Iβve betrayed too many times and have usually been right on!
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I trust nurses, but maybe an old sick guy just signed a will leaving his fortune to the wrong nurse. Anyway, you wrote fun and poetic story. Not everyone can be trusted.
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A really bad thought indeed! π³π Iβm glad you liked it and thought it was fun, Thomas. I try to make things enjoyable when I can π€£ and yes! π Wise words – not everyone can be trusted.
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Loved the poem, I really like the darker more sinister tones. And yes, if someone is draining your energy get as far from them as possible.
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Thank you Pooja. π Iβm a fan of darkness especially when the vibe just hits right. I canβt stand energy drains, ugh π© sometimes we donβt even realize until long down the road the person who is doing it to us. π
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Does darker poems there’s so much fun to write and I think this prompt with perfect for a darker poem. Call absolutely those energy draining people hurt so annoying and yes sometimes you don’t realize it until much later onπ
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Itβs hard to trust anyone these days, unfortunately. People have become so manipulative. This was very well expressed and incredibly well written. π
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So, so unfortunately true. And thank you, John. π It comes from experience, which Iβm sure weβve all sadly learned one time or another. π always so appreciated
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Youβre welcome, Laura! And youβre absolutely right about that.
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Great post, Laura! Like the poem-within-poem π I saw this one, but since Kevin usually makes his female characters quite alluring, the empty ward and her come-hither look had me going off in a different direction. Def not Nurse Ratched π
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Haha! π€£ itβs funny you mention that Darryl. I definitely thought about going βsexy nurseβ with it, but that syringe π sent me the other way π and yes Kevin does have quite a talent! Iβm glad you liked the post π so appreciated π
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Wonderful Poem
Itβs so true, sometimes we stay in situations or tolerate people who drain us, even when our instincts are screaming at us to step away. Trusting your gut and protecting your peace is essential. Your words are a powerful reminder that we donβt have to tolerate toxicity, no matter how cleverly disguised it may be.
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Thank you so much, Willie. π Your comment is so true. With family, friends, employers, any type of relationship, itβs hard to break away from them sometimes if thereβs some kind of attachment or you feel bad. But itβs necessary for our sanity and even health. Protecting peace is definitely of utmost importance βοΈ ποΈ thank you again, really so appreciated π
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Sinister smile indeed, and with a syringe, lethal. Relationships that donβt lift you up should be kicked to the curb. A Fukitol vaccine will cure any lingering guilt about cutting loose. π
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Edward, thereβs a pharmaceutical marketing strategy somewhere in your future! π€£ A caffeine-infused IV bag, a Fukitol vaccine, sounds like a plan to me!! π
On a less goofy note, those are very true words. If they seek to only compete or make you feel bad, argue, or constantly questionβ¦not worth it!
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Thank you for your vote of confidence! We should create a partnership. The good thing about the Fukitol vaccine is that we donβt need a vaccine card. The whole world would know we were vaccinated. π Yes, ππΌ to your less goofy note. Well done, Laura.
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Haha!! π€£ youβre so right Edward. Thank you. π and yes, the whole world will know and will be lining up so they can no longer give anyβ¦well, you know π π thank you, start writing your acceptance speech for the inevitable conference the masses will want to have on how peace was accomplished and cured by caffeine and Fukitol! π π βοΈ π
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π€£That reminded me, for some fricking reason, of Miss Congeniality when Sandra Bullock said, βAndβ¦ world peace.β βοΈβοΈβοΈ
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Omg, I totally forgot about that movie!! π now I want to rewatch it! But yesβ¦.kinda like that!! LOL π no peace without caffeine! βοΈ βοΈ
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She was great in that movie. I might need to rewatch it too.
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You’re telling me it’s about nurses? Shouldn’t it be any and everyone?
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Oh. No itβs not just about nurses. Iβm a nurse so itβs just a joke in general about βevil nursesβ which is something Iβve ranted on about for my job in jest. π Itβs definitely for everyone and any outer βmaskβ they display as kind, loving, innocent, but somehow you know that not to be the case. π
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I have a sister in law who was a nurse and she’s such a gem βΊοΈ. There are a few odd ones as happens everywhere else.
Oh gosh, I’m surrounded by those types of people it is exhausting. One has to have thick skin or choose not to be offended, πππ is my mantra π€£.
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YES, I thought for sure it was going to be a Nurse Ratchet post. hahah
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*Rached , lol don’t kill me.
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No, no, never!! Hahaha, now whereβs my evil grin at and the syringe?! π Lolol π kidding!! β€οΈ
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She could be a bit ratchet too π π€£ donβt worry I always make that mistake!! Bahah π
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Nurses are not evilππ
Nice poem Laura!β₯οΈβ₯οΈ
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Sometimes you can shut the door. Sometimes you are the door.
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Slam the door and double lock itβ¦throw away the keys for the love of God. My friend is dating the most toxic person ever and she keeps saying she wants to see where it goesβ¦
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Donβt you always hate when you can see the ending and youβre just waiting for it to play out? Godβ¦βsee where it goesβ lordβ¦it ainβt goin anywhere good! Hope she wisens up soon enoughβ¦Whew π
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Itβs going into the landfill for sureβ¦hope she figures it out tooβ¦
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Fingers crossed!! π€
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So well said, Laura. We shouldn’t ignore that gut feeling. This reminded me a lot of my ex-husband. He was a master of manipulation. I’m so glad I found the strength to break away.
Haha, loved that P.S. The first time I saw this image, I thought you were going to come up with an ode to Nurse Ratched
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Energy vampires! Great message and well said! I’ve definitely had to learn to set boundaries for my own healthy and well-being.
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OMG soooo good and true !!!!! Only you π !!!! This was a dentist I visited recently, and she scared me out of that chair so fast (lol) !!! Brilliant work, Loveee
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I’ll remember this and of course not all nurses are evil. π
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[…] Night Approach [NTT x Poem] A Winter Orchid All and nothing Visions of Grandeur Sinister Smiles She’s So […]
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Yayyy π
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Great post!
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