A Son, Yet Forgotten

I wish for you to love me,

and care for me,

and keep me safe from harm

But at the same time,

I wish to keep you away,

for fear that your love will extinguish me.

What I want and what I need

are two different things,

and I cannot reconcile the two.

What I needed was your love,

what I wanted was my freedom.

I wanted you to love me,

but I don't want you to know me,

for whom you wanted me to be and who I am are two different people.

I wished for you to love the boy I was,

but all I can give is the man I am.