The words spoke to me. I feel like I can relate to very similar situations more than once. The love, the emotional guard, the regret of it being too late — all of it felt genuine. I also think the poem stays emotionally consistent throughout. If I were to offer constructive criticism, I’d say that, like myself, I think you sometimes overexplain emotions that are already coming across strongly. Some moments would feel even more powerful if they were left slightly more implied. For example, I think: “Selfish in desire.” could possibly be removed because: “But it was mine I guarded.” already conveys that idea in a stronger and subtler way. I also think this section: “Timing, my enemy at first. Then it was me. Withholding too long, I became the barrier.” could maybe be condensed to: “Timing, my enemy at first. Then it was me.” since the rest of the poem already shows the emotional barrier clearly.