I Didn’t Die

You told me
what love felt like—
and what it feels like
to lose it.

You showed me
everything I thought I wanted—
and everything
I wasn’t.

You checked every box…
and then drew a line
I was never meant to cross.

You were never mine
to begin with—
and never mine
to end with.

And still—
you look like everything
I ever wanted,
and everything
I lost.

You cross my mind
every day.

And I can’t help but wonder
if I’ve already faded
from yours.

You let me leave—
and made me wish
I had stayed.

And for a while,
it felt like
you almost destroyed me.

But you didn’t.

I didn’t die.

JMS