Don’t (an acrostic poem)

Don’t take me for granted,
make me feel unloved.
Me is all I have right now.
Hate to admit it but it’s true.
You have the power to lift or crush.

I find myself back in that familiar place,
don’t know why I stay.
Want nothing more than to escape,
to hide away in the closet of my youth.
Hate, I have found, is a product of fear;
you are a master of it.

I see what I want
want what I need
to be happy, to feel whole, accepted
find peace, and love.
A simple request, and yet,
way too difficult for a manipulator.
To think you would change is foolish.
Love is not meant to be conditional.
You will never understand that one simple truth.

Don’t expect me to lie down,
make myself vulnerable anymore.
Me is all I’ve ever had.
Hate to admit it but my love is conditional.
You have lost your power over me.

~ elr