If I had loved myself the way I loved you…

𝑰𝒇 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖…

Maybe…
I wouldn’t be—
𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 broken, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 empty, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 lost..

Maybe…
I’d still recognize my own voice
pleading and asking me to give myself
a chance to be heard.

But instead—
I mastered the art of silencing it
just to hear yours louder.

I gave 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 for you
and left 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 for me.

Now…
I am trying to learn
how to pick up the pieces
of the person I abandoned…
just to keep you whole.

—
*image: bill ringer / unsplash