I Cannot Tell You I Like You

I cannot tell you I like you. 
Please do not ask me why I cannot. 
I do not want you to be wounded. 
 
All I know is that if I tell you I like you, 
all my feelings will disappear, 
and that is not what I want to do. 
 
I want to like you. 
I want to be with you someday. 
Once I tell you I like you, though, 
my wants may stay, 
but my feelings will have gone away. 
 
I cannot have a relationship without those feelings.  
 
I cannot tell you I like you. 
Please do not ask me why I cannot. 
I fear what we have together might be ruined. 
 
If you ask me if I like you, 
I may honestly respond yes; however, 
my answer will become untrue. 
 
I do not want to put us through that pain. 
I do not want to give you false confidence. 
After you say you like me too, 
I will break your conscious 
because I am incompetent. 
 
I do not want to hurt you like I have been hurt before. 
 
I cannot tell you I like you. 
Please do not ask me why I cannot. 
I wish you could see this through my point of view. 
 
But you simply cannot.