Loved and loved and loved

If only I loved a little less hard.

Did not stay up at night,

Worried that I hugged the wrong person

Or smiled at someone who talked badly about me when I left the room.

If only I loved a little less hard.

Kept my heart safe more often,

Never ending broken and brusied

Or left behind for someone better.

If only I loved a little less hard.

Giving everything I have,

Before I can trust them

And before they trust me in return.

If only I loved a little less hard.

Crying over tiny arguments,

Fearing they have hated me all along

Just never told me straight to my face.

If only I loved a little less hard.

Angry that no one else cares,

When the world is hurting

And animals dying in the thousands.

If only I loved the world a little less hard.

If only I loved my friends a little less hard.

If only I loved my family a little less hard.

If only I loved strangers a little less hard.

If only I loved people who never loved me back,

A little less hard.