I Will Leave None of Myself by Retta Lewis

All you can give
Will no longer be enough.
We are now beyond that point--
Already erased and righted
By the offenses attached to your name.

Another lifetime ago,
It seemed our desires would strangle each other.
There was no light between us;

But the past has been lost to you.
You see the invisible,
And rage on.
I will no longer play that game.

I'm living my tomorrow, now
And the bills are due.
You haven't paid up, yet,
But I'm not bound to collect that debt.

All tears cried today,
And ten years into the future
Will belong to the past.

Beside the damage you wrought,
And the unkept promises you made,
I will leave none of myself.

About the Poet:

Recently, Retta Lewis was published in Caveat Lector, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, and CC&D.  Also, three of her poems are to be published in an upcoming issue of Rigorous.  Past work from years ago appeared in:  Onionhead, Wide Open Magazine, Free Focus, and Up Against the Wall, Mother.  She works in a field devoted to the prevention of Domestic Violence.