saltwater

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I don't know why my heart
keeps circling back
to the hands that once let it fall.
Why I keep showing up
for people who never showed up for me-
like loyalty stitched too deep
to pull out without bleeding.

It feels automatic now:
you hurt me, I remember;
you see me for a second,
I forget.
One warm word,
one soft glance,
and suddenly I'm running back,
folding myself into the same arms
that trembled and dropped me before.

Maybe it's because affection
has always been a drought with no rain,
and when someone offers a single drop,
I drink it like it's a blessing-
even when it tastes of salt,
even when I should know better.

They call it kindness,
say it's love,
say it's my gentle heart.
But standing here,
throat burning,
heart bruised from hope-
I see it clearly.

It's not love.
It's longing.
It's hunger.
It's me mistaking scraps for safety.

Maybe it looks like compassion,
but it feels like drowning-
and I think
I've been calling
self-sabotage
by sweeter names.

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