Can you Imagine?

can you imagine?

this man, this big, tall man

with wide brown arms that can carry smaller people

smart enough to travel and learn languages

takes a look at a child, barely two

learning how to read on her own

and decides that he’s been hurt too much in his life,

he can’t get hurt ever again

not everyone can be trusted

and decides, no,

classifies this girl as a risk

not worthy of taking the chance

to love her

my mom knew something was wrong with him

that she married the wrong man

that he was cold and distant

but she said he loved me

maybe it would protect me

She thought, He likes her more than me and that’s almost like love, almost

but it only taught me that what was not enough was enough

and to respond to the name, ‘almost’

at first i wasn’t strong enough, smart enough, independent enough, responsible enough

and then when I grew up,

I was too strong, too independent, too wanted, too beautiful,

maybe someone else will steal you from me,

maybe you will fly away

it’s not worth the risk

didn’t I make you feel like you were enough?

so why wasn’t I?