Love Poem: Necessities Burden
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Written by: Jarrod Toothman

Necessities Burden

I give, I give, yet it’s never enough,
For all that I am, I’m told, is too tough.
Once promises made, now feel like a lie,
I gave you my heart, yet you pass it by.
At first, it was clear, we were hand in hand,
But time has turned shifts I can't understand.
Things you once wanted, now you don’t care,
No words were exchanged, no moments to share.
I built you a world of my deepest intent,
But you’ve taken the bricks, and now I relent.
I love you fiercely, with everything I’ve got,
But it seems I’ve become more of a tethered knot.
What I desire, what I dream, what I need,
Is met with a silence that makes my heart bleed.
You ask for my patience, my kindness, my grace,
But where is my own place in this sacred space?
I am a servant, a shadow, a ghost in your light,
Who gives with a smile, but feels lost in the fight.
My hopes and my wishes, they slip through my hands,
While you are the anchor, and I am the sand.
I am the man, kept close by your side,
Not for love’s sake, but because you decide.
A servant of duty, not man, not a king,
My worth is a ledger, not love’s offering.
I cannot show anger, I cannot show pain,
For fear that my sorrow will be seen as vain.
You’ve asked for so much, but I’ve lost all my way,
How long can I give when my soul has to stay?
I’m trapped in this love, yet alone in my heart,
I fear if I leave, I’ll be torn apart.
But if I stay silent, I cease to exist,
A necessity’s burden—unheard, dismissed.
So here I remain, with nothing but will,
To love with no joy, yet my heart can’t be still.
For I am not loved, but a duty well-known,
Trapped in this love, but it’s not my own.