yes, I am.

pre·cious   /ˈprɛʃəs/ [presh-uhs]

–adjective

1. of high price or great value; very valuable or costly: precious metals.
2. highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality: precious memories.
3. dear; beloved: a precious child.
4. affectedly or excessively delicate, refined, or nice: precious manners.
5. a dearly beloved person; darling.

Yes, I am.
But not because you said it
(you have treated me as anything but!)
but because I have learned to
value myself.

It is, in fact, because I know
I am precious
that I said no to you.

I think I took back that
piece of my soul
you’ve been holding
in your smooth hands.

My true Beloved
will treat me
as the precious being
I am
because I have learned
to expect nothing less.

And so it is.