growing up I was told
by happy-ever-afters and highschool romances
that if I loved a boy then I should ease all his pain
if I loved a boy I must save him
while pretending he is my knight in shining armour
growing up they made me believe
that being loved and being stepped on were the same
that love means liberation, but only for heterosexual cis-gendered males
highschool girls being the practice ground for teenage boys
highschool girls contorting themselves to be the stepping stones of their lover boy's journey to adulthood
highschool girls blaming themselves, hating themselves, harming themselves
cause no one bothered to tell them they deserve to be saved too
let me tell you, lover boy
I refuse to be the muse that raises you
I refuse to empty myself to make you full
a lover is meant to love you
a lover is meant to hold you
a lover is meant to respect you
not fix you
not fix you
not fix you
