When I spend too much time
Or when I get too close
To people who can’t
or won’t
really see
all of me

It is so easy for me to forget myself
To lose track of those pieces
and stop seeing them too

Or else, I deliberately take up residence
in the parts that feel seen
and abandon the rest of my self
let it all go fallow
just so that I won’t feel invisible

I try to be what they see in me
even if what they see
misses the point entirely

And this is why
so many times in my life
When I say goodbye to something old
an old identity
an old relationship
an old ambition

when I embark on something new
a new chapter
a new job
a new project

I find myself
finding myself
all over again