I first wrote this poem while I was abroad in Costa Rica. When I read this, I remember the man who inspired it, but like so much of my poetry, it represents more than him now. It represents a time where I needed a man's approval and adoration to feel valid, beautiful, and wanted. It represents a time where I was not my own true love.

I write poetry because it heals, but I also write to mark my emotional and spiritual growth. I have grown from this woman who needed this man, who needed his words to feel worthy. And it feels good.

Say You Love Me

Say you love me

cuz I need constant reminding

hunny, say that you love me

cuz a lot of the time I can’t take the hint

I sprint to conclusions

creating my own illusions

until they take root and have grown to sure certainties.

So say you love me, sweetie

whisper it in my ear again and again until your lips crack, split and bleed

this is what I need to hear

cuz baby maybe if you say it enough

I’ll believe it’s true

cuz baby maybe if you tell me enough

I will learn to love me too