Henceforth:

I will not be

the wound
you seek
to bandage,
the scraped knee
you need to kiss.
I will not be
a scab you pick at,
healing over
into a rough scar
salved with Shea butter,
vitamin E or sex.
I will not be
the useless middle
of a candle you burn
at both ends,
or the dark sky
that allows your star to shine.
I will not be
made small
in order for you to feel big,
will not allow
my silence
to give greater echo
to your voice,
will not allow
pieces
of a broken heart
to become
the bricks
of your new world,
held together
with a mortar
of dried blood and tears.