Butterfly 5

by Ashley Antoinette

Love gone come and love gone leave. That’s just what it does. That shit is so finicky, it’ll say I love you in the morning, and by the same night, you’ll find out it's somewhere else saying the same shit to someone else. Love is a trick, but baby you got to trick bigger. You require loyalty. What is a man gone do when another skirt enters his space? You require stability. What can he bring to the table to make your life easier? To make your kids’ lives easier? You require honesty. Will he lie to you? Cheat on you? Is he deceitful? Or does he warp reality to fit his narrative? You require dependability. Will a man be there? Will he put other things or people before you? You require opportunity. How can a man elevate you? What he bringing to the table that you don’t have access to? You require transparency. Is a man open to share the hard things? You demand history. Run a man’s past down. What is his trauma? His triggers? Because the things men don’t speak on are the things that make them mistreat you. Most of all, you let go of people who walk away from you. You lift your chin and you let them go. My son included. Stop chasing love, Morgan. Queens don’t chase, we sit, and we wait for the greatest man to prove his worth. That man will bring everything I just listed to you on a silver platter with no confusion involved.”