Poem: I Must Learn to Hold It within Myself

I Must Learn to Hold It within Myself

to remember your needs,
to realize there is a burden,
a pressure placed
by such things.
I must hold it,
must not be careless.
It is not correct
to cast it upon you,
to take what I do not want
and drop it onto you.
You have asked before,
have said it is important
and I have failed,
have not considered it well.
Tonight, I want to do better.
I understand.  It must change.
You have enough already,
you do not need more
when you are unready.
I know you will listen,
when you are prepared
you are ready to listen.
It cannot be as it has been,
the tirade of my upset.
It has been so hard,
things have been so difficult.
I know you understand,
but I know
it does not excuse me.
I must remember
you too 
have been harmed.
I was not the only victim.

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