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I Love You Because

I love you because you let me be myself
Even when I turn about and seem to be
Someone else, someone you don’t recognize
As me, someone who reads different books
And eats different foods and watches you
With different looks, someone who cries
At things that do not sadden you at all,
Someone who caressed you yesterday
And today, will not even take your call.

I love you because you refuse to listen
When I list my shortcomings for hours
And then when I am suddenly silent
Lavish me with praise for something small
When I have done nothing to deserve
A kind word or gesture, when I have
Shown you my dark side, my mean streak,
My sometimes-stony heart, when I give you
The cold shoulder, or worse, nothing at all.