Where Love Heals

Loving you
was never meant to mean
losing the quiet center of myself.

Standing beside your dreams
was never meant to require
the burial of my own.

You once told me
that what drew you to me
was the way I stood whole—
independent, unafraid of my own light.
You said I inspired you
to become better.

And so often you say
that I saved you.

But love,
no one can carry another person
out of the dark forever.
At some point
we each have to find
our own way back to the sun.

I loved you—
truly, deeply.

But love should not demand
the slow surrender of my joy.
It should not ask me
to disappear.

So today,
with a heart that still cares,
I release what hurts
and hold on to what is mine.

Maybe one day
you will see this moment
not as something lost,
but as something merciful.

I loved you.
But this time,
I choose me.

JMS