The Man I Wouldn’t Love

I started crossing paths with a man on a periodic basis in a certain setting who responded to my attempt to be warm, kind, polite, and friendly with rudeness, anger, intimidation, and an emphatic demand that I keep my distance. I prayed for him a bit and made a weak short-lived attempt to have love toward him in my heart and to be humble and respectful when I crossed paths with him. I resolved not to fall into fear but to cleave instead to love.

But in very little time my little human effort at ...