Where We Need to Go
On wanting someone you love to grow with you — and the hard math when the paces don't match.
One of the harder pieces. About the love that wants more for both of you and isn’t sure what to do when more doesn’t show up symmetrically.
I don’t want to be better than you
I just want to be a better me
I want to see you succeed
But I need my own victories
I want us to grow
But I can’t at your pace
Our journeys are different
And the challenges we face
I can’t help but want more
Not just for me, but for you too
What I think is best
May not be right for you
That’s what’s hard to express
Visions for our future, and how we grow
Are often filled with doubts and fears
I hope life takes us to where we need to go
The honest version of long-term love includes this conversation. Our journeys are different. And the challenges we face. You can love someone deeply and still need to grow at your own pace. The poem ends with the only honest hope: where we need to go. Singular we or plural *we’*s — the poem holds the question open.
— JTC