What You Wouldn't Do

I would sit there for you
Give you the advice you never listened to
I sat through the horror stories
The times you lost your temper
Or all hope on life.
I stroked your pride
Made you happy when you had no one.

But you wouldn’t do the same for me

You would never comfort me
Never offer even basic advice
My stories you laughed off as petty
I never lost my temper with you
But when I came with tears in my eyes
You never made me feel better
You never made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

She was always there
The cause of your pain,
That you insisted was your salvation.
You listened to her with a devotion
I could only see as a stark offense to mine
Still, no matter how much she hurt you,
I was there to pick up the pieces.

But you wouldn’t do the same for me.

I had so little drama in my life,
But what I had could pull me deep.
Still, you couldn’t help me.
Wouldn’t help me.
I would cry on the phone,
Waiting for even the simple words of
“It’ll be okay”
But they never came, only
“I don’t know what to say”

And so, you don’t have to.
I finally ripped myself away,
To the relief of my friends.
Looking back I wonder why I
Allowed myself to get so deep,
But I knew I was deep in your clutches.
So I set you free,
Good luck.

I was your best friend, closest confidante,
But you couldn’t be the same for me,
And I let myself go.

**Inspired by Bruno Mars "Grenade" and George Strait's "She Let Herself Go"