You Don't Like Me

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You don’t like me— 
You like the way I fill the silence 
when your world goes quiet, 
when all your friends are gone, 
and you’re left 
with nothing but your own shadow.

You like how I make you feel important, 
special, like the center of a universe 
that you don’t even see me in. 
You never liked me— 
not for who I am, 
but for the way I hold you 
when no one else cares enough to.

You craved the attention, 
the love you thought you deserved, 
and I gave it, didn’t I? 
I poured it out, every drop, 
but it wasn’t for me— 
it was for someone else 
who never showed up.

I was just the stand-in, 
the soft landing, 
the space where you could pretend 
you were wanted.

But you don’t want me. 
You never did.

I was the glow in the dark 
when the one you really wanted 
left you alone.

I was the backup, 
the filler, 
the body next to you 
when your world fell apart. 
And now that it’s together again, 
where does that leave me?

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