Before I Lose Myself

I mistook attention for affection.

I confused infatuation with connection.

I let myself drift on waves of fleeting joy,

believing there was nothing wrong with living in the moment.

 

I told myself, “It’s just for a little while.”

But little whiles have a way of reaching for forever.

Then my No became an inconvenience,

and I learned that love does not grow impatient because of a boundary.

 

But was it ever love?

 

So I walked away—

not because my heart stopped feeling,

but because my conscience began speaking louder,

even while my heart still wanted to stay.

 

I cannot rewrite the chapter I lived through,

but I can choose the one I write next.

 

And this time, I choose peace over pleasure,

clarity over confusion,

myself over a love

that was never truly mine.

 

Sometimes walking away is not the absence of love; it is the presence of self-respect.

Have you ever had to choose yourself even when your heart wanted to stay? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Photo credit: Manuel Cortés | Pexels