For Any Future Lover

I’d rather go through life alone,

watch the sunset over the ocean horizon

with only the sand at my side,

then ever change myself again

to fit someone else’s perception

of who I should be.

I’d rather die a thousand deaths

than lose myself in someone else’s image,

watch myself slowly fall apart

leaving a broken shell when she’s gone,

having to rebuild myself from scratch

because I spent so many years not being me.

I’d rather be tortured in a million prisons

than be with a woman who expects to change

to fit my perception of who she should be.

Our worlds should fit together

as if they were the same world.

And we should be independent together

rather than codependent.

And if I do find someone

who wants us to change for one another,

I’ll kick the dust off my feet

and walk away in a hurry

for both of our sakes.

We should be able to do

what we both want to do

and it will be beautiful

like two parallel lines

rather than a twisted knot of a mess.

And we’ll watch the sun set together

hand in hand

while the chaos rages all around us

in our own little worlds,

parallel dimensions,

mirror universes

reflecting light.