She Didn’t Know (Poem)

I said goodbye, my voice thickened

swallowing anguish again and again

that burned my eyes with the unshed collect of tears

halted my breath with the weighted catch of sorrow

not for her, never for her, but for my own selfish loss

I bid my grief rest in the her great fortune

happiness evident in her keen clear gaze

sharp with newfound focus and affectionate attention

this was what I wanted most

so judged my distress an insignificant thing

a sliver of glass lodged in my heart alone

a sliver ablaze with love and shining with her joy