I want to be wholeheartedly known by you
Not merely for the services I employ
I am not just the lubricant in your daily machinery,
only used to ease the hardship of reality 

My existence is not defined only in relation to yours 
I have smoothed my rough edges to fit beside you,
burnished my grit to become further palatable 
I pine for my once raw disarray 

You once said it was too arduous to celebrate me
How do you choose a gift for someone without passion?
Has your memory buried who I was when I first bloomed for you?
She was vivid and whole and untamed 
My devotions have only been quelled by my exhaustive duty to your comfort

How do I relearn to revel in my own gratification 
To not spend all waking moments ensuring your own 
I crave to rebuild my personhood 
To gently peel away from what has consumed me 
I don’t need to sacrifice my being to bolster your vitality any longer 

I need to have faith you can grow without my incessant watering 
Prosperity doesn’t require another’s gentle hand 
My needs have been neglected by my own doing 
Allow me to attend to them, without feeling abandoned to your own