Can't Be A Lover Poem by Yaya King

I found love once, and it came to an end
The conclusion is: I'm better as a close friend
It hurts, I can't even pretend
I'm used to it though; it's become a trend,
A sort of rule that I've accepted I can't bend

I can't be a lover
I can't be any thing more than a friend or brother
I tried my hand at one game of love; 'Game Over'
The costly mistake I made was playing harder,
Because it made letting go a thousand times harder

I can't be a lover
A lesson gained from experience, the best teacher
I deemed it love when it was just exaggerated romance
No wonder it fell apart over the distance
Everything seemed to happen in an instance
Thinking about it now; 'Hah, good riddance'

Why did I even bother?
My last relationship has me feeling sober,
Concluding that the only female I should love is my mother, and my sister
Any other gets nothing more than a cold a shoulder
I might forsake that rule when I'm older,
But for now, I'm a certified player

For the sake of the girl involved,
I can't afford to be her lover
I'd just take her on an emotional rollercoaster,
Put her mental health in danger,
Give her reasons behind crying sessions,
Followed by hours of being sober
Thereafter,
She'd ask herself the question of what she chose to enter,
When she agreed to be my partner,
Because so far, I'm sure it would feel as though she's a prisoner

That's a summary of why I can't be a lover
Love is a war, and I'm a retired soldier