My Unapologetic Choice Poem by Lisa AT

I've reached a bend, a quiet, final line,
Where I'm simply done with all that used to bind.
No more entertaining what will drain my core,
No more disrespect knocking at my door.
The peace I cherish shall not be displaced;
No arguments, no chases, not a moment wasted.
​I will not explain my worth, nor try to prove;
If something feels off, swiftly I will move.
If lack of value is clearly shown to me,
I step away, without a plea.
I'm done with carrying connections on my back,
Destroying my own peace to stay upon your track.
​I'm unfriending, unfollowing, the block button pressed,
Choosing silence now where chaos once possessed.
Distance over disrespect, a choice I freely make,
Not bitterness, but for my own well-being's sake.
My mental and my heart matter far too much,
Than keeping hollow ties within my touch.
​They'll call it 'cold, ' because I cease to tolerate
The hurts that linger and the pains they generate.
They'll label it as 'rude, ' when I decide to go
From places where my growth can no longer flow.
I hear their talk of 'loyalty, ' a whisper thin and weak,
When all they offer is the minimum I speak.
​You seek access now without the simple respect?
That era is over, you can no longer expect.
I am at a different stage, where I refuse to shrink,
To make your comfort my necessity, I simply cannot think
Of holding on to what makes my true self feel small,
Or 'dealing with it' when I don't have to deal at all.
​My life is too short, and this peace is too high a cost,
To let myself be treated like a value that is lost.
If protecting my serenity means losing your connection,
Then so be it. I make the firm selection:
​I'm choosing me. Every single time.