those three words you have repeated time after time again
those three words, the same, meant differently each time.
I love you.
I love you, don’t be mad.
I love you, please stay.
I love you, let’s ****.
I love you, it’s not personal.
I love you, but no.
don’t tell me that you love me,
how dare you take that weapon into my back
as I tried to walk away.
anchors cast around my ankles
that were striding towards liberation.
don’t tell me that you love me
as we walked down the streets of downtown
after a month of silence in which I thought I had lost you.
but the way that your eyes smiled
when I echoed those words back,
it was a trap I couldn’t help but to fall into.
don’t tell me that you love me
when silence was on your end
after I drove 78 miles to see you.
later I came to learn that you were
getting high with your buddy Anthony.
don’t tell me that you love me
when you’ll never love anything more
than that chemical you inject into your body.
don’t tell me that you love me
and then go **** the girl
that had your heart before me.
you brought her into the relationship
from the very start,
an unintended *******.
don’t tell me that you love me
and not hold me in the night,
turning your back, yet again
keeping me on the outside.
don’t tell me that you love me
just to drag me back in.
don’t tell me that you love me
when you made sure to destroy
every ounce of self respect I had.
don’t tell me that you love me.