I Settled

I realized the other day,
That I settled for people who didn’t truly love me,
I bore myself,
Ripped wide open with the blind belief that love would see me through,
Only to be left shattered and broken,
I settled for charlatans,
Men who were unwilling to truly share all parts of themselves,
I pushed aside my doubts,
Took the leap towards what I mistook for love,
Chose blind optimism over gut feeling and instinct,
Now that I can take a step back,
Assess the damage that is my heart,
Review the scar left in the tissue,
I know what genuine, supportive, steady love feels like,
I have it,
That, I feel in my gut,
The slow, patient kind,
I can only be happy for the settling,
For it made me know what real love is…
May 2023- R1