I remember the first rule I ever broke
it was not a law it was a promise
soft as a couch cushion at 3 a.m.
your shoes by the door
my heart trained to leave before it learns how to stay
I remember saying I love you like it was a rebellion
not a contract
not a deadline
just a truth tossed into the air to see if it could fly
They told me love is a system
input output
cause and effect
but I always found the cracks
the side doors
the spots where the wiring hums if you press your ear to it
so I tuned my soul to the feedback
I refused the script
I kept the feeling
Tell me
how many people are you allowed to be honest with
before they call you broken
Tell me
why devotion has to look like possession
Why freedom got framed as a threat
Baby I never wanted to own you
I wanted to witness you
in motion
in doubt
in joy
in the version of you that only shows up at sunrise
with sleep still in your voice
I remember learning that love multiplies
it does not divide
but people get scared of numbers that do not end cleanly
so they round each other down
I refused the math
Here are the instructions they never gave us
Love without invoices
Speak before fear finishes the sentence
Choose honesty even when it costs comfort
Do not confuse exclusivity with depth
Do not confuse jealousy with care
Do not confuse survival with morality
I keep asking myself
Am I brave or just tired of cages
Am I faithful to people or to truth
Am I running from roots or refusing chains
Is this freedom or is this just another way to hurt cleanly
I have loved in ways that looked improper to observers
too much room
too many doors
but inside it felt like air
it felt like standing on a roof with the city breathing under me
I remember your hand on my chest
counting my heartbeat like you were learning a foreign language
I did not swear forever
I swore present
and that scared you more than any lie ever could
They want vows carved in stone
I offer sand
They want borders
I offer maps that keep changing
They want guarantees
I offer intention and a spine
Call me reckless
Call me unstructured
Call me afraid of commitment
but do not call me dishonest
I am loyal to connection wherever it appears
I am loyal to truth even when it rearranges the furniture
Love is not a prison
Love is not a leash
Love is not a single door with a single key
Love is a house with lights on in every room
and people choosing where they rest
And I know
this kind of loving costs more upfront
you cannot hide behind rules
you have to show every insecurity at the door
you have to keep choosing instead of coasting
But I would rather be chosen daily
than owned permanently
So here I stand
a relationship anarchist with trembling hands
not destroying love
just refusing the empire built around it
I do not fall in line
I fall in connection
and when it ends
I grieve clean
with my name still intact
Love is like a sunset
you can never hold it
only witness it
and still somehow
it changes everything