I took off my purity ring,

because it became more like a genie bottle

than a promise

because I started to look at it in longing

and replaced the power of my God in a small silver band

 

Because True Love Waits,

looked more like just waiting

aimlessly and restlessly

Stagnant and victimizing all at the same time

 

I took off my purity ring because 

I got tired of having I am woman and I am waiting

make its home on my left hand

 

Because it became less of a self-proclaimed promise

and more like a advertisement screaming my relationship status 

 

This isn’t the case for everyone,

I realize that those silver rings we place on our fingers

are our promise for saving ourselves for someone who decides to replace it with a forever

 

But for me,

it was a leering reminder that I was just waiting for someone to love me

instead of doing it myself

 

For me,

it convinced me that waiting for someone to swoop you up from your slumber

was more appealing than living well

 

I took off my purity ring, not because I stopped waiting for true love

but because I wanted it to come find me

wherever I was, in whatever I was doing

while I lived fruitfully and adventurously

While I learned the wonders of loving myself and others 

more than I could have imagined

 

Because I didn’t want to be single and waiting 

I wanted to be taking life one spontaneous ball of whatever at a time

So I found what made my heart flutter, what created goosebumps on my spine and excited me

and fell in love with that first

 

Slipped off a silver weight on my finger 

left it behind me,

said I’m tired of permanently waiting 

 

So there’s that story,

I took off my purity ring, 

not because I stopped waiting for true love

but because I wanted it to come find me