I have loved myself....

I have loved myself

even when

you said you

couldn't love me.

I have loved myself

even when

I used to

say that

there's nothing such as self love

within me.

I have loved myself

even when

I said I

hated myself.

I have loved myself

even when

I blamed myself

for every atrocity,

every foul play of fate.

I have loved myself

even when

people I trusted

and people I cared about

eluded me.

I have loved myself

even when

I was left

out.

Left out of every plan,

every attribute

that I thought

I would've been great at.

I have loved myself

even when

you blamed me for

everything that went wrong,

everything that could've

so easily been your fault.

And I reckon that it was.

I have loved myself

even when

people forgot I

existed at all.

Chose to ignore me

deliberately or otherwise.

I have loved myself

even when

I said I

wouldn't be able to,

through all the adversity and

trials of my patience.

I didn't see this love

I had for myself

because I constantly

depended on other people

for the same.

But now since this epiphany,

I did come to realise it.

Because now I know,

if I hadn't loved myself,

my survival instinct

would have been absent

through it all.

Because now I know,

if I hadn't loved myself,

I would not have

come this far.