I Was Not Selfish for Letting You Go - a Poem about Love and Letting Someone Go

No, I was not being mean

And I was not selfish

when I left after short goodbyes.

More than a cliché—

Cold as ice but real.

I break through muffled cries.

I was not selfish

As I was never—

But you can’t know how I feel . . .

The deepening cuts,

The daily raw wounds

That neither one could heal.

It wasn’t about me

But yet it was

The things I couldn’t share.

I no longer could hide

The force that drove me

With you so unaware.

I couldn’t unleash

The demons that chased.

That just wouldn’t be fair.

And if I did

Then what of it?

I don’t know you’d even care.

Sometimes I would speak

You didn’t relate

So why should I even try?

So don’t say I’m selfish

For letting you go

When I had to say goodbye.