I love you, but…

I love differently now 

Don’t get me wrong, it is still loud, 

constant and repeated 

even when you don’t want to hear it. 

It comes with intention and 

a softness that has been rejected. 

One that has been told, I love you, but…

It’s been abandoned, scared, and bruised.

It is a love that remembers 

all of the good and the bad.

A love that knows its worth 

and why it needs to be shared. 

So I chose the hard path 

I choose to do it anyways.

I love, but I love differently now.