The Bitter Taste of Love

In the mirror of memories, I see the ghost of you,
A shadow danced around me, cloaked in colors untrue.
I was consumed, wrapped tight in an image so grand,
Thought I touched the ethereal, forever in your hand.

But truth, a sharp knife, gleamed in the light of day,
It whispered in my ear, though I turned and looked away.
This world — it cradled me, soft in its embrace,
Yet I wasted it all chasing a fleeting face.

You built me up with laughter, like a tower of glass,
Only to watch it shatter as your kindness slipped past.
Misery wrapped like a shroud, intricately sewn,
Every thread a reminder of how far I've flown.

The siren's song of devotion, it echoed in my chest,
But I learned love's bitter lesson, felt the hollowed unrest.
I reached for the horizon, thinking I saw my worth,
Yet found timelines unraveling like dirt birthed from earth.

I have to love myself — a compass to guide me,
Before I can seek another where my heart may find peace.
How cruel this masquerade, this dance of false affection,
I forgave you time after time, lost in your reflection.

But you never saw the oceans, the storms your words ignited,
The aching in my chest, the kindness you invited.
I wore forgiveness like a cloak, heavy on my skin,
A reminder of your absence, of the love that couldn't begin.

Yet in this melancholic maze, I carve a path anew,
Brick by brick, I build a fortress, no longer just for you.
I rise from the rubble of dreams that slipped away,
To find the sun in fragments of the dawn's first ray.

So here's to the nights I wept beneath your borrowed light,
To the lessons learned in shadows, to reclaiming my own fight.
I'll gather pieces of myself from the ashes of despair,
And forge a love within that no man could ever wear.

For the world is vast and waiting, with abundance in its bloom,
And I'll dance amidst the petals, shake off yesterday's gloom.
The truth has eyes that shine, and though it's hard to face,
I’ll embrace my own reflection, as I rise to find my place.