I lived alone in my apartment for a while
I paid my bills
I paid my rent
My life was going great; until I got a roommate.

He is loud and obnoxious
His voice echoes through the halls of my apartment
He eats my food and trashes everything.

He used to be tolerable
Quiet
Manageable
When I was working, he would keep himself tucked away in his room
But now

Now he roams every room of the place, throwing things and screaming at me.
Each day he seems to get more..
More disruptive
Louder
Meaner
More demanding

One day, years ago, he stormed in my room his eyes blazing with anger and malicious intent
"You need to move out!"
He said this over and over, yelling and screaming in my face.
"MOVE OUT. JUST MOVE OUT"
He continues this for hours
His words paralyzed me in my bed thinking to myself
"Should I move out? Maybe I can move in with grandma"
I could hear him bustling around in the kitchen

This goes on for days
Months
Years
He is controlling me and my life
The apartment looks like a murder scene
The walls are covered in profanity and words I could never repeat
The water that used to run so clear now runs a deep red
And the electric got shut off last week

I have yet to successfully evict him
He keeps coming back
At unexpected times
Uninvited
When friends are over
He's there
I could be mid sentence and I'll stop because he will appear at the corner of the room and he stops me dead in my tracks

When family is over
He drags me away and locks me in my room
Even at random times in the night
His snake like voice hisses in my ear 
"JUST MOVE OUT"
My body shoots awake and his deathly black eyes are staring back at me
"Go away! Get out!"
I yell and scream but nothing seems to work.
My voice cracks and shatters like the pictures on the wall
I shut my eyes tightly and try to block him out

I open my eyes
He's gone
I am again left to my own devices

It's been a long hard fight with him
Each and everyday, I contemplate moving out
But I decide to stay

I've got a life to live
My bills need paid and
I'm behind on my rent
Living with this particular roommate is one of the hardest things I've ever done
But I'm getting through it
I'm a prisoner in my apartment most days
And he isn't gone
I don't think he'll ever leave
But I do believe that I can deal with him
I
WILL
Overcome
And
I will stay here
This is my home
I belong here

And although he is loud and obnoxious
Mean and demanding
He is my roommate

It is a constant fight with him
He beats me down
Slams me against the wall

But I fight back
I am afraid
But I am NOT a rag doll
I am a human being
And nothing he can say
Or do
Can make me leave

Because his presence
His presence has taught me something
He has taught me
How
To live
With my depression.