The Other Side of Unrequited
I’m afraid
Because you say you love me.
It breathes through our talks,
Hidden in praise and jests,
Where I can feel when it bubbles up
And I beg you not to say it
Through subject changes
(Do my hips really sway?)
But it lingers on my teeth
And makes me feel guilty
And it’s the scent of your prose
Bitter but flowery
Wafting from poetry about girls
Oh so cruel and pretty
And I read every word
Because I don’t deserve you
(But I’ve got you)
Are they about me?
And through it’s been long since I’ve heard
I still remember the words
A “Marry me” that fell weightlessly
And pens on paper incriminatingly
And while I miss you I don’t miss the feeling
Of telling eyes “No” that looked so hopefully
If only because I can’t be what you need
I can’t love you like you love me
So I am afraid
Of who you want me to be
And I'm afraid
That some day you'll say
You love me too plainly