Rupi Kaur

like your mouth has the gift of reading and i’m your favorite book.

every time you
tell your daughter
you yell at her
out of love
you teach her to confuse
anger with kindness
which seems like a good idea
till she grows up to
trust men who hurt her
cause they look so much
like you

- to fathers with daughters

with my heart in your hands. thank you. for arriving here safely. for being tender with the most delicate part of me. sit down. breathe. you must be tired. let me kiss your hands. your eyes. they must be wanting of something sweet. i am sending you all my sugar. i would be nowhere and nothing if it were not for you. you’ve helped me become the woman i wanted to be.

who tricked you
into believing
another person
was meant to complete you
when the most they can do is complement

if you were born with
the weakness to fall
you were born with
the strength to rise

you left

and i wanted you still

yet i deserved someone

who was willing to stay

no not what you do to pay the bills what drives you crazy what keeps you up at night

i can think of better ways to use that mouth

this is where you must
understand the difference
between want and need
you may want that boy
but you certainly
don’t need him

i stopped loving you
i left because the longer
i stayed the less
i loved myself