"Bye"

Why did you lack the courage to send me on my way,
To give me what was needed: to say what you had to say.
I knew you did not trust me, sensing all the while
That most of all you resented my ability to make you smile.
Never shall I be the woman fresh from that much-desired mold.
You see, I'm much too mouthy, too expectant, even too old
To settle for less than all that you and I could give
Or ignore the glaring differences in the lives we each must live.
I know that seeking friendship engendered sure and certain risks:
That each of us would face the inner fears that even time could not dismiss.
Still, foolishly I believed you'd see that such deep emotion could hold no lie,
That something truly precious sealed that entity "You and I".
How could you, after winning over my own doubts so tenderly
Imply I cared not for you but for your celebrity?
Perhaps with that same fear which you so often claim to face
The chance at friendship, love, and laughter you stubbornly replace!
Easier by far to hide behind the hurts of long ago,
To accuse me of the very things you knew, in your heart, weren't so.
Thus, for all your cool talk and suave reasoning, this you cannot deny:
You were too afraid to take a chance...and too cruel to just say, "Bye."