Love Me Not

I look forward to the day

My body will cease and it will decay

For I know how many petals ripped off only to rot

Because of purposeful love me not

I look forward to the day I rise

My spirit free from your cruel eyes

I hope I receive one thousand petals new

With parts of me that cannot be torn by you

You envied the way I bloomed so bright

A thousand petals catching the light

Your hands weren’t clumsy

You knew what they’d do

Jealous of my beauty you couldn’t undo

Because it was chosen for me and not for you

You saw me standing free

And hated who I dared to be

"You love me not?"

You tear another petal off

“If I can’t have you, no one will,”

You rip off more of me with thrill

“You love me not?”

As you destroyed with venom in your voice

Having better parts of me was never now my choice

You’ve shredded me beyond repair

Unrecognizable, neither hide, nor hair

A cruel reminder that won't cease

That my life is not meant to be at peace

I know the petals I was supposed to wear

A crown of color, soft and rare

But you never let me be what I would

Tore me down before I ever could

I love her, but I love you not

I love him, but I love you not

For everyone else, you all chose to hold

But I was torn apart and a new story told

Each time you came around

To tear off a petal, throw it to the ground

You ripped my petals to remind me

You never wanted me to be happy, alive, and seen

It wasn’t strangers who tore me apart

No nameless faces aimed for my heart

It was family, friends, and false "lovers" too

Each one stopping by, knowing what they'd do

Plucked my petals with practiced ease

Words like knives, touches a tease

A mother’s cold glance, a father’s disdain

Each rip a reminder of love in vain

Friends who smiled but turned to scoff

False "lovers" who lied as they broke me off

And so I stand, stripped to the stem

Still rooted, but not thanks to them

You didn’t stumble, you made it clear

You wanted me empty year after year

Your hands haunt me, your voices sting

A chorus of “You’re nothing” you all love to sing

For I am a flower meant to bloom

And although I still have a stem and roots

You left me bare from your envious heart

Coursing through me is the grief of being torn apart

I know the flower I’m supposed to be

And it fuels a fire that burns in me

Every empty space where petals once grew

Screams of the theft done by you

You didn’t pluck them by mistake

No, you wanted me to hurt

To make the point that I’m nothing

To grind me into the dirt

You came with greedy hands

Ripping, tearing, stripping me down

“You love me not,” you laughed

And left my beauty to die on the ground

I look forward to the day

When my body gives in and decays

Because I know the weight of the loss

Petals ripped off just to rot

I look forward to the day I’m free

When no one’s hands can reach for me

No more cruel reminders, no more pain

No more voices calling my name in vain

I’ll rise from the ground they tore me through

With a body whole, fresh, and new

A bloom they can’t touch, a soul they can’t claim

But hear me now

I will rise and I will bloom again

Stronger than the hands that tore me down

And for you all I will not be around

"I love her not"

You showed, then me you tried to blame

I am now unreachable to those who brought me shame

"I love her not"

You showed with no regret

You tore me down

Not the other way around, don't forget

"I love her not"

You showed with cold conviction

Then as you are free, so am I from any restriction

"I love her not"

You showed and you did not hesitate

Then you will not be looking for me at the gate

"I love her not"

You showed with hands that lied

Flesh can tell a story but spirit cannot disguise

"I love her not"

You showed, then it is done for good

And you will not claim after that you misunderstood

"I love her not"

You showed and you swore that it was true

Then you will find that you did not know the real me, too

"I love her not"

You showed, convincing you are right

Then do not seek to find or have my very own light

"I love her not"

You showed, without a trace of doubt

Do not be surprised that my own garden you are cast out

"I love her not"

You showed, with hubris you had some fun

Then do not weep now that to me you are not anyone

"I love her not"

You showed, thought a prize you had won

But you will realize, that for me it has only begun

"I love her not"

You claimed, so for you it will be done

Be free from me now

For you, I am not the one