I remember it like it was yesterday.
We were young, and we would go to the playground to play on the seesaw.
We were always there to bring each other up when we were down.
Through reciprocation and communication, we made a beautiful bond.
We knew each other's strengths and weaknesses.
We learned not to push too hard or too soft. We learned how to balance it just right.
The park became my safe place. I could trust that you would be there with me through the ups and downs.
I always knew that you would be there the next day.
You became my safe place.
I have grown older, and I now know that life is seldom the thing of seesaws and innocence.
The ones you love will not always reciprocate.
I worked twice as hard pushing us on the seesaw when you only gave half of the effort.
The more I cared, the less you did.
The more I cared, the less you had to.
You became accustomed to me caring more than you, and you grew to expect it.
Seesaws need balance. I need balance.
Eventually, you left the park forever. You outgrew the seesaw.
You moved onto more "adult" games, but I do not remember the instructions including heartbreak.
The more you won these games, the more you lost yourself.
You forgot where you left yourself, but I remember.
You'd buried it in the dirt near the seesaw next to my Barbie doll.
You tried to recover it in places it wasn't buried.
The ups and downs of our bond turned into a roller coaster I don't remember boarding.
Your constant twist and turns and ups and downs have left me sick and trembling.
I say no more.
I am finally leaving the seesaw. Our bond was a seesaw that only I moved. It was an hourglass that never got turned back over. It was the two-way street that only one car drove on.
I thought you were just lost or stuck in traffic when you never even left the driveway.
Being the only one moving the seesaw strengthened my legs, allowing me to gain the strength to walk away.
I am taking my Barbie doll and my pride with me, but I am leaving yours where you abandoned it.
There is a flower growing in the spot where you left it. I made sure to nurture it for you for when you are ready to reclaim it, even though I know that you will not care.