your heart

i have heard the cry of your heart
and i have kissed you 
as it wept fearfully and safely
gratefully  
against my skin

i have rejoiced with your heart
and i have danced with you 
as it smiled joyfully and hopefully
in the magic 
and in the footsteps of our breath

i have loved your heart
and i have crawled inside as far as you and your manmade walls would let me
as you come and go
passionately 
and quietly 
carefully
and carelessly
lovingly
and recklessly
with 
my heart 
in tow

i honor your heart
if not simply because
it carries mine

your truth ...

sometimes when your heart takes a hit

the debris doesn't scatter 

and the pieces don't choose where to fall

sometimes the wound just patiently leaks

and those loose fragments stick to your skin

and like a slow release 

they peel off 

and dig in

at the same time

little by little 

layered

triggered 

sometimes 

unexpected  

sometimes 

undetected 

always 

your truth

reminding you

to love you 

be where you are

i believe it is not only important

but also necessary

to offer ourselves the gift of compassion.

i know that for me,

when i am going through something

the only way to get to the other side

is to allow myself to be in it in the first place.

i have to feel it,

every bit of it,

sometimes how ridiculously hard it is

sometimes glimpses of how beautiful it is

other times how simply debilitating it is.

i have to face it 

every single day 

until it isn't there anymore

or until it looks 

completely different.

sugarcoating or masking the truth of where we are

does not lead us out of the dark,

does not bring the light to where we are fallen,

and does not remove the shrapnel 

from our soul.

be where you are. 

love yourself there. 

it's okay.

unafraid ...

be every bit 

of who you are. 

dare 

to live a life 

that says

"i am unafraid."

don't wait ...

don't wait until someone walks away from you 

to realize how much you want that person in your life, 

how much you need that person in your life, 

or the extent that you are willing to go to 

to keep that person in your life. 

because sometimes when people walk away, 

they close the door behind them, 

and every time they take a step forward,

they are stepping on a piece 

that they reached back and lifted 

from the path which they no longer walk on 

with you. 

and eventually that path is so broken 

and the distance is so great

that neither one of you

can reach the other 

and your connection 

no longer 
exists ...

choose love

i would rather breathe love 

and risk looking crazy

than breathe crazy

and just look like love

i would rather be whole

and look incomplete

than look whole

and know that parts of me are missing

i would rather take a chance on something that i know is great

than succeed with something that i know is marginal at best ...

#chooselove

what do you stand for?

i prefer to spend my time with

and be connected to

people who prioritize love

and authentic living