The Devil I Know

I don’t think I love you anymore

I just know what to expect

I’ve learned all the ways you’ll hurt me

and the ways you’ll come through—

or more likely, won’t

Better the devil you know

than the one you don’t

You’re a safe bet

Why do I let time define my treatment

as if years of history

are a convenient excuse

for accepting disrespect

I wouldn’t take

from someone I just met

It makes no sense

to endure

unnecessary torture

for a position I no longer fit

The penalty of familiarity

is complacency—

comfort in what I’m accustomed to

even when I’ve outgrown it

Attachment breeds stagnancy

I want to leave—

let your absence set me free

But the thought of life without you

is worse than the hurt

I’m used to

and manage impeccably