Dear Respect

Dear Respect,

When did you vanish in the whispers,

About me, each one like a blister,

Forming underneath my,

Thin layer of self esteem?

Dear Respect,

I need you to define,

This forever without you,

Because there is no forgetting,

When you aren't by my side.

Dear Respect,

I need you to drown out my fears,

Show me a new world without the years,

That you forgot about me,

Take me back to when I was fearless.

Dear Respect,

You are too fleeting,

To keep my heart beating,

On and on, like I need you to,

When all else fails.

Dear Respect,

I think I'm talking to myself now,

And the empty echoes of the past,

Because you left too long ago,

To ever turn back around,

To face me.