I waited in silence Called it patience instead Watched my worth get smaller With every word you never said I stayed where I was starving And told myself it was fine I learned how to disappear Just to keep you in my life You never had to choose I did that part for you Every time I stayed quiet I told you I’d lose Love ain’t worth what it took from me Love ain’t meant to feel this thin If I have to erase myself Just to be let in I gave you everything gently Still ended up alone If this is what love costs I’d rather go without it now I measured days by your replies Nights by what I couldn’t say You called it complicated I lived it every day You said I mattered somewhere Just not where it showed I held onto almost Until almost was all I’d know I kept waiting for proof Like time would change the truth But waiting doesn’t heal you It just teaches you to lose Love ain’t worth what it took from me Love ain’t meant to hollow me out If I have to beg for presence Then I’m already without I gave you everything gently Still ended up alone If this is what love costs I’d rather go without it now I don’t miss who you were I miss who I became Before I learned to settle Before I learned your name I thought pain meant depth Thought staying proved care But love doesn’t ask you To vanish just to stay there Love ain’t worth what it took from me I can’t pretend it didn’t break me down I lost my voice, my balance Trying not to let you down I gave you everything gently Still ended up alone If this is what love costs I’m done paying it with my soul I used to think love meant hold on Now I know it means know when to stop I gave patience like it was endless Gave time like I had it to waste Waited all day for a sentence Just to hear you say you needed space I kept my voice low, stayed gentle While my chest stayed tight every night You said I mattered in theory But not enough to show it in life I kept explaining my pain real calm Like if I said it softer you’d hear it more But every truth I tried to hand you You laid it down by the door Love ain’t the price of my silence Love ain’t the weight I should hold If it costs me my name and my balance Then it’s already too cold I won’t beg to be chosen Or wait just to feel alive If loving you means losing myself Then love ain’t worth the price I watched myself start shrinking Just to fit what you could give Learned your moods, learned your timing Forgot how I used to live You said “don’t take it personal” But it sat personal every day I was loyal to the feeling While you kept it halfway I kept calling it complicated So I wouldn’t call it unfair But confusion don’t grow from nothing It grows when one heart cares I thought pain meant commitment Thought patience meant proof But love don’t ask you to vanish Just to keep it smooth Santiago Flores Some things feel deep Because they take everything I didn’t lose love I lost myself
