I Am Not the Sun

you were the sun 

above the trees 

warming me 

making me whole 

I sought to bask in your light

but

every time I came near 

you burned me

again and again

like the willow tree

I bent to your will 

smiling softly with a laugh

searching for your radiance

to shine upon me

still

I was not in your favor

while others grinned

soaking in your light 

it complemented them

yet I went unnoticed 

I did not understand

how something so beautiful

could hurt me so much

but I thank you

your light has guided me

mentored me

to become the moon

I shine in your light

without your knowledge

in my own way 

I give light to those

in their darkness

though you did not give light to me in mine