"I like the way your handsmove in the sunlight. Even better,I like the way your hands moveagainst..."

“I like the way your hands

move in the sunlight. Even better,

I like the way your hands move

against skin that does not

belong to you. You say so much

but really you keep the most

important words to yourself.

Or better yet, you write that chaotic

mess of meaning into poetry.

How do you do it? How can you

love so many but insist

that you do not deserve

the same love in return? I’ve never

met someone as selfless

as you. I’ve never come across

another person who is able to

give others the amount of hope

that you do. So why not give

some of that energy to yourself?

You’ve spent so much of your time

trying to fix the broken pieces

of those who will just leave

once they are patched up.

Do you think that’s fair? Do you

think that’s love? Have you tried

stitching up your own wounds

before using that thread

on someone who will only end up

tearing it out. Now I know that this

reads more like a lesson

than it does a love poem,

but I am being aggressive because

I love you more than anyone

could ever promise. I hope you

don’t hate me after this. I hope

you don’t see your faults

as flaws, or your dedication

as something that should be

removed. You are beautiful,

and you are as gentle as the way

the morning kisses the mist.

So please, try to love yourself

more. Try to see that you are

much more than a nurturer

to the weak. Try to see that you

need love just as much

as those who have been swallowed

by their own darkness.

You radiate so much light

that I know it can be hard to see

the shadows in your eyes.

But I see them, and I know you are

not as strong as you say.

So turn over your open sign,

lock the doors and use your time

off to say to yourself what you

always seem to say to others;

you are beautiful and you will

survive, I promise. Because if

there is anyone that can turn

their pain into poetry, their pain

into a new way of healing,

it’s you.”

- "A love poem to myself," - Colleen Brown (via mostlyfiction)