It’s alright.

You’re alright.

Alright?

Alright.

You don’t have to do a thing,

You don’t have a thing to worry

To think

To talk

To cry about

Anymore.

One new date

And then a pause

And then you realize it’s not going

To happen

Again.

And for the first time

In years.

Do you feel sick

For Valentine’s Day

For what the month February becomes

A slut.

A whore.

Something unhappy.

Unloveable

Unloved

Unheard

Intangible

Desperate

Foolish

Alone

Depressed

An extroverted introvert

And then you love

And you see love

And you hear love

And you love

But are loved

But are loved

But not loved

Not loved

Not love

It was not love

Never love.

And it’s time for you to pretend

And pretend again

And pretend again

And pretend again

And to stop pretending

Pretending

Defending

Offsetting

Depressing

Debating

Obsessing

To stop pretending that everything’s alright

Alright?

And you expose love

Expose happiness

Expose interest

Expose your bruised skin

Skin that’s been torn and broken and bruised

And where you died

And rot

And became dust

But you’re alright.

That shell

That shell she’ll never be

That shell she knows she’ll never be

Be lonely.

Be sad.

Be crying.

She,

She unlike any other,

She will be loved.

She will be loved and cared for,

And protected,

And happy,

And she will be loved.

She will be loved as she is loved.

And loved.

And loved.

And in love.

Love.

Because love,

Because she is loved.