I love Like Fire, But I Leave Like Smoke

I don’t stop loving. But I stop showing up the same.

The moment I realize my care is unmatched

when I’m loyal, and you’re lazy with my heart

something shifts. Quietly.

Like a door closing in another room.

I grieve while walking.

I cry and detach in the same breath.

Not because I’m heartless

because I’ve been hurt enough to know

what it costs to stay where I’m not cherished.

I’m not built for begging.

I’m built for depth. For soul.

So if you belittle me, disrespect me,

if you mistake my warmth for weakness

I will leave you with a silence

so loud it echoes everything you took for granted.

And when you apologize,

when you come back with your arms outstretched,

expecting the same love I gave before

I wish I could give it.

But I don’t know how to be soft