They Told Me I Should, Poem by Kim Aouad

But I do not want to go.
I do not want to pack up and leave.
This is something beyond all you'll ever know,
So in my motives please believe.

I do not want to leave behind
The life I've lived and loved so far,
Nor the times when peace I couldn't find,
Because all these are what made me raise the bar.

I do not want to hear your conviction
Because I just got accustomed to my life here,
And despite all its restrictions,
This is the life I no longer fear.

I do not want to ignore
The memories that bond me to this place,
For I can't see the things I adore
And disregard the against-time race.

I do not want to leave my home,
Because I feel it is the only thing left
That connects me to my own
Who has long since left.

I do not want to let this place go
Because to me its loss would be unbearable.
I know that out of this I should grow,
But my feelings are an unforsaken parable

I am not ready to close the book just yet
Because I'm only halfway through the chapter.
I'm scared all the events in it I might forget,
And the characters I might no longer remember.

I do not want to be running away,
But I do not want to face it all,
For I can clearly see the downfall
That lies end this pathway...