Three big little words

“I like you.” “I hate you.” “I dislike you.” “I admire you.” “I respect you.” Anything other than what I mean. Anything other than what might scare you away. Anything other than what might hurt us both. Anything other than those three big little words. It’s different when Mum says it, It’s different when Dad says it, It’s different when my best friend says it, And it’s different when he said it. I could scare you, I could hurt you, I could anger you, I could do anything to you With those three big little words. “But what if?” A little part of my heart begs, Pleads for me to speak it aloud. So I’ll say it to the photo on the shelf, To the texts saved on my phone, I’ll whisper it when you walk away, When it’s too loud for you to hear. I love you.