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If I do all you want today,
Will your love shift?
Will your arms stretch wide,
Wide enough to hold the ghost of me?

I have danced on the edge of your wanting,
Spun circles ‘round your longings,
Bent my back, bowed my head,
Tamed the fire in my chest
To keep your comfort warm.

You ask for little things.
A smile where silence sits.
A nod when my spirit shakes its head.
You ask for more.
To silence my no’s, to trim my edges,
To mold away the man
Who dares to stand whole.

I have walked your road,
Worn my feet down to whispers,
Lost my name in the fading call of your voice.
But tell me,
If I do all you want today,
Will I wake up tomorrow
And know the shape of my own shadow?

I have learned the lessons of yielding,
Learned to tuck my thunder away,
To let the winds of your needs
Blow me soft, blow me small,
Blow me into something easy to hold.

But what of me?
What of the man who sings her own name?
Who does not shrink,
Who does not fall silent,
Who does not twist himself
Into the shape of another’s desire?

I will not be whittled down,
I will not be swallowed whole.
Love should not ask for a life
That forgets how to live.

So I ask you,
If I stand tall, if I stay true,
If I let my wild bloom,
Will you still call my name?
Or will you fade,
A dream that could not bear
The weight of my wings?

I will not trade my fire for comfort.
I will not barter my soul for belonging.
If I must walk alone,
Let my feet find steady ground.
Let my heart beat in its own time.
Let my love be limitless and unchained.

For love should lift,
Not bind.
It should open doors,
Not lock them shut.
If I stay,
Let it be as I am,
Unshaken. Unshamed. Unafraid.

And if you must go,
Go gently.
But know this,
I will not dim my light,
Not for you.
Not for anyone.

I was born to shine.

@okelododdychitchats