friendly reminder:
you can start anytime.
you can brush your teeth in the middle of the day. you can wash the dishes at 2am. you can do things outside the normal times assigned by society.
In English we say: ‘You changed.’
But in poetry we say: “you became a stranger wearing the face I used to love, and I am haunted by the ghost of who you were.”
most women aren't crying over the man. they're crying over themselves. the effort they gave, the hope they held, the delusion they fell for, & the reminder that love hasn't rewarded them back.