when i was young,
the goodbye was all too familiar, the separation nearly always the same; but in time,
the knowing came, too. that
the love is more than feeling. that
the rapture of the companion,
the delight of the relation,
the joy of the intimate doesn't prepare you for
the avulsion of the split. that
the gratuitous displays of affection wane, and
the comfort in shared space can become strained.
the path winds, and no longer does compassion or empathy light
the way, but instead firefights and mortars. that
the decision to love better is
the only way to love. that
the choice to daily improve and then
the act of doing it, is the work that mother spoke of. that
the tongue should share the soul, but be held until gentler language can come. that
the truer love is red diamond: a normal stone transformed by such deep pressure that carbon atoms shift and new colors are absorbed. that
the truth of love is work and effort, intent and commitment. it is practice and meditation. both prayer and maxim. that you get what you give. but i didn't know that
when i was young.
About the Creator
kp
I am a non-binary, trans-masc writer. I work to dismantle internalized structures of oppression, such as the gender binary, class, and race. My writing is personal but anecdotally points to a larger political picture of systemic injustice.
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