I carried

your shame

like rocks.

cleaned up

your messes.

hoped my love

could stop

your drinking.

If I worried

just enough

maybe tomorrow

would be

different.

But the

bottles

and lies

stacked.

One night,

after

another

fight,

another

broken

promise,

I told you no.

no more.

I am done.

it stuck

in my throat,

but I said it

and slept

through

the night.

When I

woke up,

I saw it—

I’d lost myself

trying to

save you.

helping you

never began

with you.

not at all.

It began

with

healing me.