All These Pieces of Me

A Poem

Photo by Valeria Boltneva: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-holding-string-lights-281417/

sparks fly —
or isn’t that the way
you expect this story to go?

oh, i thought i loved him,
but maybe i loved myself
so much more.

wouldn’t that be revolutionary?

or would it be a sin?

because you expect me
to fall head over heels
as if nothing else could
define me.

because you expect me
to bend to his every whim
as if everything he wants
is all i could ever be.

we tell ourselves
we want to be wanted —
but what if we find another way?

oh, i thought i needed him,
but he decided he wanted
someone else.

isn’t that so ironic?

or is it just to be expected?

because i can be more
than just a happy ending
to someone else’s story,
undefined till the last word.