Distant Relatives

Living at a distance is less painful

than surviving within your needy grasp;

Not because I don’t love you,

but, simply, because I do.

***

I crave your loving touch,

but cringe at the bruises bestowed with it.

Like a bleeding gash, viscous fluid taints

every thought, every choice, of mine.

***

Therefore, I have learned to cope

separate from you, beyond control,

in order to shelter those for whom I shine,

from the drops of toxicity denied.

***

No one close can truly thrive

while smiling in your shadow.

Distance does not always equate to a depth of love. Sometimes distance is precisely what is needed to preserve it.