What Nobody Tells You

What nobody tells you

when it comes to love

is that your soul is not one piece.

Not all parts feel the same.

It is a divine machine

Good and Whole

with cogs that crank out anger

and wheels that eke compassion

and they can all be running for

(and against)

the same person.

An exercise in anger is painful but exhilarating.

It’s resting your muscles in a stinging ice bath.

I had to experiment with disdain

to know that love is ingrained deeply and is complex.

Therein lies devotion;

soul-pieces at odds have a mild burning from confusion.

You live through both.

Sit with your anger and ask it where it comes from.

If the pain is external or misplaced,

ask your compassion if it is being fed.

Maybe it’s not in the way you were taught to expect,

but you must be honest and open enough

to see if this is a cuisine you did not learn in your culture,

and did not know this was also good to eat.

After you taste your anger and your compassion,

see which makes your spirit more full.

Know the difference in these passions,

because they can feel almost the same.

What nobody tells you when it comes to love

is that your soul is not one piece.

It rips and heals, it dies then phoenix-rises,

all the tiny different pieces of emotion

shimmer

as they dangle together,

like strings of little lights

and your soul shines brightly;

a beautiful, gleaming, monstrosity of joy and rage channeled into something

Good and Whole to fill the world

Good because it is real and

Whole because it is

everything.