Comes the Dawn

After awhile you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul.
you learn that loving doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises.
You begin to accept your defeats with your head up
and your eyes open
with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans.
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns
if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure...
that you really are strong and you really do have worth.
And you learn and you learn...
with every goodbye you learn.
~Blythe K. Myers~

The Rose

Some say Love, it is a River, that drowns the tender reed.
Some say Love, it is a Razor, that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a Hunger, an endless aching need.
I say love, it is a Flower, and you its only seed.

It's the heart, afraid of breaking, that never learns to dance.
It's the dream, afraid of waking, that never takes a chance.
It's the one, who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give.
And the soul, afraid of dying, that never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely,
And the road has been too long,
and you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong,

Just remember, in the winter,
Far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love,
In the spring, becomes the Rose.
-Amanda McBroom-
 

Love Risk

There is a risk involved in everything: every time you share a smile
Every time you shed a tear. You are opening yourself up to hurt.
Some people tred slowly through life, avoiding the closness risk brings;
Sidestepping the things they can't understand,
turning away from those who care too much.
Those who care stay too long; Those who care hold too tightly.
There is never an easy way to love, you cannot approach it cautiously.
It will not wait for you to arm yourself. It does not care if you turn away.
It is everywhere, it is everything. Love is the greatest of all risks.
It is not reliable, it is not cautious, It is not sympathetic.
It is unprejudiced and unmerciful.
It strikes the stongest of minds, and brings them to their knees in one blow.
Even in the best of times, love hurts.  It hurts to need, it hurts to belong.
It hurts to be the other part of someone else, Without either of your consent.
But, from the moment it overtakes you, It hurts worse to be all alone.
The risk of love never depletes:
It grows stronger and more dangerous with time. But, it's in the total
surrender of all defense,
That we, no matter weak or strong, No matter willing or captive,
No matter what, we truly experience love.
Despite the many things love is not, Outweighing it all are the things that love is.
Love is surrender without a loss. It is a gift without the cost.
It consumes your every thought and desire, Every breath you take.
It is the fire that fuels you, to do more than pass through life:
It urges you, instead, to live.
No matter the outcome, having felt love, You will never be the same.
It may scar your heart and soul and leave you only memories of forever.
Or, it may cause every day of your life to feel like there is no need for tomorrow.
But, Love is worth it. It is worth the risk....For in all of life,
Love is truly the only risk worth taking....
-Unknown-
 

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and Haste,
And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
Be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
And listen to others,
Even the dull and ignorant;
They too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
They are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
You may become vain and bitter;
For always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possesion in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
For the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
Many persons strive for high ideals;
And evverywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
For in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
It is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
Gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strengthof spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome disciplinee,
Be Gentle with yourself.

You are a Child of the Universe,
No less than the trees and the Stars;
You have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
Whatever you conceive God to be,
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
In the noisy confusion of life
Keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be Careful.
Strive to be Happy.
-Max Ehrmann-
 

Love Is

Love is Patient;
Love is kind, and is not jealous;
Love does not brag,
And is not arrogant,
Does not act unbecomingly;
It does not seek its own,
Is not provoked,
Does not take into account a wrong suffered,
Does not rejoice in unrighteousness,
But rejoices with the truth;
Bears all things,
Believes all things,
Hopes all things,
Endures all things.
Love never fails.

-1Corinthians 13:4-8
 

"My feet shall run because of you.
My feet shall dance because of you.
My heart shall beat because of you.
My eyes see because of you.
My mind think because of you
and I shall love because of you...
Now are you guys cool with that?"
-Northern Exposure-
   Chris in the morning marries Adam and Eve (3.22)
 

Wish You Were Here

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war
for a lead role in a cage?

How I wish,
How I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,
year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have you found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
-Pink Floyd-
 

Landslide

I took my love, I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
'Til the landslide brought it down.

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changing cause
I've Built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I'm getting older, too...

I took my love and took it down
I climbed a mountain, I turned around
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
The landslide brought it down.
-Smashing Pumpkins-
 

"But he's the sort who can't know anyone intimately,
least of all a woman.
He doesn't know what a woman is.
He wants you for a possession,
something to look at like a painting or an ivory box.
Something to own and to display.
He doesn't want you to be real, or to think or to live.
He doesn't love you,
but I love you.
I want you to have your own thoughts and ideas and feelings,
even when I hold you in my arms.
It's our last chance... It's our last chance..."
-A Room With A View-
George Emerson
 

November Rain

When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin' when I hold you
Don't you know I feel the same

'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain

We've been through this much a long long time
Just tryin' to kill the pain
But lovers always come and lovers always go
And no one's really sure who's lettin' go today,
Walking away

If we could take the time
to lay it on the line
I could rest my head
Just knowin' that you were mine
All mine
So if you want to love me
then darlin' don't refrain
Or I'll just end up walkin'
In the cold November rain

Do you need some time...on your own?
Do you need some time...all alone?
Everybody needs some time...
on their own
Don't you know you need some time...all alone

I know it's hard to keep an open heart
When even friends seem out to harm you
But if you could heal a broken heart
Wouldn't time be out to charm you