I'm the rebellion in your heart
“To Love Life”
Ellen Bass
The thing is
to love life
to love it even when you have no
stomach for it, when everything you've held
dear crumbles like burnt paper in your hands
and your throat is filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you so heavily
it's like heat, tropical, moist
thickening the air so it's heavy like water
more fit for gills than lungs.
When grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief.
How long can a body withstand this? you think,
and yet you hold life like a face between your palms,
a plain face, with no charming smile
or twinkle in her eye,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you again.
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I disagree, I can say no just fine.
We're all brainwashed that love is what makes this world tick, that LOVE is the key to all happiness, and that all other happiness is empty and fleeting. We end up jumping through hoops and tumbling head over heels for love. Some of us chase after love over and over again, like a dog trailing its master. Some of us become addicted and dysfunctional over this emotion, and pop culture actually acknowledges it.
Get some measure of self-respect kiddos. Love may be a good thing, but I still say there's a lot of hype.
Ellen Bass
The thing is
to love life
to love it even when you have no
stomach for it, when everything you've held
dear crumbles like burnt paper in your hands
and your throat is filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you so heavily
it's like heat, tropical, moist
thickening the air so it's heavy like water
more fit for gills than lungs.
When grief weights you like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief.
How long can a body withstand this? you think,
and yet you hold life like a face between your palms,
a plain face, with no charming smile
or twinkle in her eye,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you again.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I disagree, I can say no just fine.
We're all brainwashed that love is what makes this world tick, that LOVE is the key to all happiness, and that all other happiness is empty and fleeting. We end up jumping through hoops and tumbling head over heels for love. Some of us chase after love over and over again, like a dog trailing its master. Some of us become addicted and dysfunctional over this emotion, and pop culture actually acknowledges it.
Get some measure of self-respect kiddos. Love may be a good thing, but I still say there's a lot of hype.