He used to

He used to

He used to show me off

He used to brag to his friends

He used to do and say a lot of things

That made me believe

That made me feel

Like I was the only woman on this planet

The only one for him

The only one that existed

He used to take my hands

And dance with me

Show me the way to move

In sync with him

In a way

That I never felt before

He used to.

He used to look at me

In a way

A different way

That made me feel something else

Something out of this world

Like we we in the galaxies

Looking down

At our own love

At what we created, in such a short amount of time

My lucky star

He used to

He used to ask

And ask

And ask

Over

and over

To see me

Be with me

Day after day

Even for a short while

He used to

He used to think

I was unfaithful

When all I wanted

Was him

But then

Tables turned

I asked

And I asked

And asked

For even an inkling

Of affection

He made me feel like I was worth more than tenfold that amount once

Numbed.

By inhaling smoke

He used to

He used to say

I was the best

That if it wouldn’t work out with me,

Then it would be impossible to work with anyone else

He didn’t realize

Even though I told him once

That I needed to be reminded of these things

That

Like a plant,

Without watering it

It will die

No one ever gave me the amount of water I needed to even sprout the blossom that took decades

The souls that I’ve come across

So many terrible gardeners

I used to

I used to picture our future

We once were indestructible

I used to tease him

And leave him wanting more

I used to wonder

Where he was

Because I felt like a piece of me was lost

And yet

When I was wondering

He’d be looking for me

He used to

Now

I am my own gardener

I cannot trust words

When actions only last for so long

I will water my heart,

Even with my own tears

Because who you used to be

Is gone