I've loved lifetimes
without knowing who I am.
Wasted years reaching for
someone else's happiness,
never looking for my own.
I thought love meant
setting aside my goals;
Living vicariously through
someone else's achievements.
I found I had become
a martyr to their cause,
rather than a supporter of my own.
What do I believe in?
Who have I become?
Will I ever know?
What have I learned?
I can answer only the last--
Denying yourself, in favor of another
debilitates your soul,
grinds your selfrespect into the dirt.
Unfortunately, I made choices,
no one forced me to.
My ego wanted their gratitude
acknowledgement of my sacrifices.
Disappointment shook hands with me;
I blamed others for my emptiness.
I alone, was to blame.
No longer will I love others above
my selfrespect, honor and principles;
for when they have no more need of me,
what have I left but the very things
I have cast aside.
I am worth more than their selfish needs.
By: Graci