Victorious

It plagued me once before
And I played its little game,
It was remarkably malevolent
Despite its lovely name.

I ran about at first like a
Dumbed-down, delighted dunce -
Happy and contented, though
That all changed at once.

The other player of the game
Decided it just was not for them.
Half of what I thought I was, detached,
Like a rose cut from its stem.

I've since regrown that half of me
In a stronger, stabler form,
I am also wiser now,
Immune to what it can adorn.

All it took was to realize that
This game was an emotional disjunction,
That it was a simple, deceiving,
Easy-fix of my brain's malfunction.

And so it's fixed!

I have emerged victorious,
This game is rightly done.
I still play from time to time,
But only to have a bit of fun.