I first wrote this poem while I was abroad in Costa Rica. When I read this, I remember the man who inspired it, but like so much of my poetry, it represents more than him now. It represents a time where I needed a man's approval and adoration to feel valid, beautiful, and wanted. It represents a time where I was not my own true love.
I write poetry because it heals, but I also write to mark my emotional and spiritual growth. I have grown from this woman who needed this man, who needed his words to feel worthy. And it feels good.
Say You Love Me
Say you love me
cuz I need constant reminding
hunny, say that you love me
cuz a lot of the time I can’t take the hint
I sprint to conclusions
creating my own illusions
until they take root and have grown to sure certainties.
So say you love me, sweetie
whisper it in my ear again and again until your lips crack, split and bleed
this is what I need to hear
cuz baby maybe if you say it enough
I’ll believe it’s true
cuz baby maybe if you tell me enough
I will learn to love me too