Tether

You said you loved me

So I gave you my shape

You said you needed me

Now I can't escape

Every"I miss you" is a summons

Every"I love you" a demand

Connection feels like drowning

When you're not allowed to land

This is the tether

Dressed up as devotion

This is the leash that I call emotion

You don't need chains when love does the job

The kindest prison still has a lock

I tried to leave

You cried

I tried to breathe

You asked why I needed space

Love isn't supposed to hurt

But it's the only pain with your face

You say you'd die without me

Is that love or just a threat

This is the tether

Dressed up as devotion

This is the leash that I call emotion

You don't need chains when love does the job

The kindest prison still has a lock

I thought connection meant freedom

I thought intimacy meant seen

But you loved the version of me that barely breathes

I own you

This was the tether but I learned to chew

This was the leash I'm slipping through

Love isn't sacred when it costs this much

I'd rather be alone than this in touch

You'll say I broke your heart

I'll say you tried to keep mine

We'll both be right