I Don't Love Poem by Okenyi Sunday Chinweike

I don't love.
For the greatest joys seem distant,
Keeping pain at bay,
Allowing room for pursuits that yield more,
Than the fleeting allure of love,
Which often trades reason for an emotional feast,
Leaving the heart entangled in fragile chains,
Whose wealth is but sorrow.

Even if I were to love,
Deep within my soul, tears would flow,
For I would have to endure a lengthy wait,
Living amidst dreary wounds,
Which find solace within my heart.

Even in my search for love,
Should it lie within my grasp,
It would burden me,
For its weight would soon diminish,
Leaving behind the memories that once sustained me,
As I strive to breathe and walk away.

To love now is to surrender my heart,
To endure prolonged pain,
For I can find healing each day,
Without the demands of love,
For love, at times, becomes a madness of the soul