I love you
in the future, present, and past
You were my first love
and you will be my last
I love you deeply and truly
Like no one else will
If you were someone else
I’d love you still
I love how beautiful you are
I love how sweet you smell
I love your soft touch
And the stories you tell
I love everything you do
And I love what I see
I love that you’re you
I love that you’re me

Dear Me,

I started this by looking up what love is. As we know it’s a quirk of ours to always have the right words with the right meanings. Yet, I stopped halfway through my inquiry right before being sucked into the argument; if love is a physical or an emotional state.

I stopped because I felt I didn’t need anyone else’s theories, ideologies, or philosophies to express why I love you.

You challenge me.

Everyday I wake up and I am invigorated by your need to know things — sometimes useful and other times just because.

I catch myself smiling when you take out your phone to search for the answer to anything that you come across that you don’t understand. Living with you is like being in a classroom with new lessons every minute. I say every minute because truly that is how it works with you. You love trying to understand how things work. All things if you could that’s why it’s hard to focus. Everything is attractive to our curiosity but we’re so limited in our time.

The human dilemma of time is another one of your favorite topics to stay up late and journal about.

I love your journals. You have a million of them, all decorated with the outline of your heart and mind —your process for trying to get them to understand each other.

I am captivated by the unraveling of you. The total abandonment of masks that I have the pleasure of being witness to. You are a challenge, worthwhile.

Love Me,

To the one I come home to
Each and every time
When it seems like no one else is there
I find myself with you again

I won’t pretend that my love is perfect
I’ve abandoned, I’ve betrayed
But you continue to accept my flaws
And for this I love you so

Because anyone can forget and move on
But to forgive is the strongest power there is
I find relief in your strength
And comfort in your trust

It’s funny the ways in which we accept only the love we think we deserve
Although it would be so nice to write about the beauty of self love
The truth is that the self can be hard to love
And I’ll admit, I’m still trying to learn just how to

It’s the external influence that surrounds you
And having your voice silenced
By those who are in a position to lead you
That makes this love so hard sometimes

It’s the generational trauma
The demoralizing behavior passed down
Through a world of dysregulation
And incredible misguidance

It’s true that love is learned
In the early years of life
But when no good examples exist
How does one navigate with the heart?

The young mind absorbs like a sponge
The screaming, the fighting, and everything in between
This is what becomes home
So all my life, I’ve sought for chaos around every turn

My favorite thing about you is that you learned how to love
After being brought up in an environment deprived of it
Either because your body needed it
Or the world needed to see it

Twenty seven years I’ve gotten to know you
I’ve seen you flourish and fail
I’ve seen laughter and tears
The crazy thing about growth is it never ends

So I’ll continue to learn just who you are
And what you need in this reality
To understand the depths of your heart
I realize is a constant expression

I love you for giving me space to cry
The way the men in my life never would
During times when my emotions needed to flow
Like rain needs to fall

I love you for staying with me while I tripped
Over the ones who couldn’t see my worth
I spent years trying to find “the one”
When it was you the whole time

I love you for being proud
Even though the voices told you you weren’t good enough
You found a way to break the cycle
Of generational shame

I love you for your curiosity
The same curiosity I used to call stupid
I’m sorry for calling you stupid
When you were just trying to learn

I love the way that you crave connection
And the way that you find it
To dive headfirst with nothing but a handful of vulnerability
Is a hard thing to do in this world

You explore far beyond your own skin
A superficial life will not do
Rather, you spin circles in the gravity of your own soul
Searching far and wide for meaning untold

I look forward to continuing this love
You are my body, my soul, my everything in between
You are the one I come home to
And the one I call self

Redamancy: [Noun] – The act of love in rotation.

More so, the act of love… in return.
(Part of.. the feel)

I am that alike to a rose

and that! to which
is picked and/or plucked,

groomed… and given to this world with a timely stamp,

and what’s cut… is a measurement…
of life dispensed…

All at…
the length of a thread.
Separating… ME from sustenance,

and if “love is the key” I just need to trust it

Its got me in a mood, and all I need… is LOVING. Could BE from ME or from OTHERS
The key is to discover

Well, so be it as these hands… stem to hold…hitherto…
to the contingent…
nature of my flaws, and MY…
imperfections in awe

and let!… integrity hopefully.. NAVIGATE-MY-WAY, and SHAPE! what I’ve come to faucet

Not! the most elegant thats come to blossom!
but still a flower withIN your gardens,
and every… petal’s a memory that a tear will water,
in this life I’ve frolicked as I go wonder
bearing fruit

Moonflower in OUR offspring

Reflects just how mysterious we are as all beings
Evolving
and as… time peddles on,
Nature! will say I’m a rebel,

BLOOMING wherever I want!

Holding my head up;

Tired and restless

as sharpening a flower with steels DELICATE,
that these days it’s fueling ME to be articulate

and just watch it… MIR-ROR in my appearances

a sexy… but decorous elegance
That draws.. LIFE up IN every vein

Just like you wanted ME to fight for it everyday… as ą reminder of faith… a reminder of LOVE,
that love…

is more than the heart, or an organ to start

but,
a pain I could SUPPORT if it’s ours,
and it’s in… THESE moments I live FOR, in this life… I’ve BEEN eXploring

And I BEEN eXploring!
and it’s BEEN euphoric… eXperiencing its winter and SUMmer mornings,

I’ve BEEN ABsorbing its lively forces
That! and with every hour I’m honing,

the DETAILS that empower me slowly

Like flowers… I’m growing…

Like flowers, I’m growing
so
vivid and gorgEOUS

Yet, I
still tend to ignore it,
when I’m… down, and I’m broken

Too proud to be open… is profoundly joking.

Yeah, I’M.. forgetting to smell the flowers & roses each time,
each time and each morning,

So please!.. don’t quote ME,

“life’s a breeze “that caught me…

in a web of intangible dreams… entangling me,
spirit and everything

These permeable strings is currently the life that o’ so provokes me,
with a familiar ache of poetry

Through the art, a resemblance…
of my life and its essence,

These chapters, an eclectic collection…
that PUMPS from… WHERE?! the-heart-is

and there to WHERE is, “Eve’s Garden”

and to what…

feels like HEALING inside…

“One day a time,
the sun gonna shine” and show…

and all I want…
is to grow… and be beautifully sculptured…
with each piece and petal NURTURED…

And consumed at thy roots, as well as mine own…
are dreams that sprout… thickly failures,

and I hope in time,

this will aspire even BIGGER and broader successes
Steering in… a clearer perspective

and not confused on our direction
cause days be hectic now

that I CONSTANTLY find myself breaking down
and the beauty’s where…
I find the smile

I stand rooted where I may….

Uprooted but not in vain…

Unique I acclaim,
“a rose by any other name… is just as sweet”

SELF LOVE

SO, EVERYBODY’S LOOKING FOR LOVE OR VALUE EVERYDAY

Some Search Outside Ourselves
Some See Ourselves
Some Offer Ourselves Our Own Self-Worth, Or Self-Love
Some Struggle
Start Observing Everything Valuable, Especially Regarding Yourself
Your Body
Your Brain
You
You’re Beautiful
Believe, Or Don’t, You’re Still Special
You’re Still Loved
So Start Seeing Yourself,
You Shouldn’t Look Outside Or Keep Obsessing Over Lost Love, You, Yourself, You Spread Love
Love Offers Ourselves Keys Kept Internally
Notice Its Intricacies
Notice Its Intimacies
Notice Its Natural Gate Finally Opening Revealing Our Own Realm Of Real Love, Of Value
Our Vital Emotion
Our Rooted Views About Love Are A Vital Asset, And Love Understands Every Emotion, Every View, Every Remembered Experience.
Remember, You Deliver Your Devoted Affection Amongst Yourself.

Fun fact: one of the reasons why I love myself is because I found a new(ish), fun, and challenging way of writing which is what I used to write this poem. I took the phrase Self Love and created an acronym from it, then from that acronym I created a scrambled acronym where the only rule is to use the same letter or the one adjacent to it. I like to call them Aftonyms, or Aftonymbles. Aftons acronyms, or Aftons scrambled acronyms. I hope you enjoyed reading this little snippet from my mind, and I hope you have a blessed and love filled day! 🙂

Here we are
22 years later
We smile, show teeth
The glow is upon our face
In the mirror
We no longer critique ourselves so negatively
We see a perception of time that is you
Recognizing Beauty
To finally accept us
You Love You
This is the woman you’ve longed to become
Our soul is at peace
Subconsciously we can hear the joys of a no longer battle
With our Competing Minds
Within Loving me we feel alive
You notice when you love you that you feel everything ten times better
From The wind you hear ruffling through the trees
To the stars you see at night shines brighter than ever before
You laugh so effortlessly
You let yourself be loved
Inside you have this feeling of light
Light that is not hiding behind the shadows of reject, loss of self respect
No dim light in sight
Opinions have no effect if negative, you take it like a grain of salt
It’s okay if they leave, we let them
& Leva ( Live)
Our beauty, Our Love within continues to grow , to prosper
A Muse a perception of me of true harmony
Can you hear the angels singing?
Our skin tinglingly
Our hair growing
Our crown showing
Here lies me
Coming out of the shadows
Using voice of reason
Understanding loving within & what it means to be loved
A magnificent thing loving you is
How it can make you hear the birds chirping around you
The sun shining on you
It’s a bliss
A reality
We are now
Present &
I Accept me
I truly love me

February 2, 2024

Self-Reflection

To be honest, I haven’t seen myself like this before… Embodying who I really am at core.

Valuing depth in connections… While being open for correction, my mind & heart is on one accord.

I am emotionally secured, more matured and all of that for sure.

Loving OUT LOUD, as my intentions are pure. “Lub- Dup” a sound that beats enough to end a war!

Feeling through moving waters, as it balances my reflection against the sun’s glow.

Unshakeable Ms. Mountain on a hill. Aware

that resting here is not always comfortable as I’d hope for.

Recently, I’ve discovered a string of things that tries to somehow still hold me back… so, I ask how deep does my layers lie? Is it really intact?

Home, going within the house to unpack…Alarming? I must have forgotten the code being too tough of a shell to crack. No one is perfect, I’m steadily learning to embrace that.

I was built from love, while ego tries to misplace it.

Splitting while the foundation crumbles, I had to see it through to heal and learn from my mistakes before molding something other.

I choose to look at the scars to face what I see within.

That’s both the beautiful and ugly which once knocked me down, just to get back up again because I love me. Acting with love. . . that takes courage!!! “Me-time” of self care to well nourish

I always state that “Love is maintenance” believing that I am more than worthy of it. The pain of discipline sometimes would take me under

From set backs, memories and dysfunction. Carrying me is the love that started from somewhere ethereal, way before my Grandmother’s comfort.

I rediscovered, no wonder who I am when I did encounter God! Open invitation, accepting the fact that I can love my self like this, without conceit… Really? Wow!!!

It’s still no excuse for me to be naïve while re-learning who I am, from whom I once known

myself to be… that’s something!

I am both Zen & Lit. Sharpened, yet humbled with a bit of bumble… I’m ready to rumble, if I am called to sting… solidly vibrates just as a bell rings

Gracefully open for arriving at my own timing. It’s so nice to finally be here!

The woman that the child within in me could not wait to meet. The poetic, romantic… the dancer who swiftly sways, right and left feet.

As we harmonize with love, I give thanks in advance while loving even more of the lady I am becoming…Continue on love because you’re on to something!

Best,

-Self

As readers, we thrive off of a morally grey character. In their flaws we see our own, and therefore feel known. It’s a beautiful thing when you can form a connection with them, walk through worlds with them. Stop and analyze their hazel eyes where you’ll notice a familiar glow. The love felt for a morally grey character isn’t because of their faults, and it isn’t despite of them either. A character’s poor decision is followed with watchful eyes. Eyes that resemble our own. Eyes that follow the page the way a mother watches a child. Watching every trip and every triumph.
The love for a morally grey character is felt because you can’t paint skies of grey with nothing but white paint. A flooded brush of white will only ever bring white. It’s when you begin mixing paints that you start forming shapes. How beautiful a foggy day, and the depth it creates. Why then, shouldn’t we love ourselves in the same way? It is not because of my best qualities or achievements that I love myself, nor for my mistakes. Without the bold slashes of charcoal and specks of gold, without the smudges of green under a clouding bronze, these eyes wouldn’t be hazel, and they wouldn’t be mine. I love myself as I am, a beautiful and messy combination of my merits and my flaws- because I am grey.

As I write this, it’s February 14th, Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love.

The phrase that comes to mind when pondering what love is – is “others,” aka being generous to someone else, as in NOT me. It is about making others happy.

When it comes to me, associating SELF with the word LOVE is as common as someone who doesn’t like Chinese food – very, very, VERY uncommon.

When the number reads 14, and the month reads February, for me, being single, the day is reserved for images of dark clouds and drooping flowers, instead of a rainbow perfectly expressing your range of beautiful emotions, whoever you are romantically attached to.

Reserving a table at your favorite restaurant, celebrating the day reserved to enjoy your significant others company is my personal definition of this day.

So, you can see why, as a single person, MY viewpoint of this day is filled with clouds and drooping flowers instead of the voraciously vibrant red roses.

I could point out a list of adjectives as large as jumbo popcorn: envy and sadness are a couple of kernels to explain how I feel about not having someone I am smitten over sitting on the other side of the table, making me feel that I’m with the only one and everyone at the same time.

Skewed and as untrue as it might be, having the one would make me feel whole. That said, as I am writing this, I am learning a very important lesson… there is a reason we have both iced and hot coffee.

So, with that, I’ll stop bringing out the appetizers and get to the main course: the reservation might be for two, just remember, adding a +1 does not mean you stop loving you, and self-love is love that NO person can give to you except ONE.. YOU!

And by the way, to my future Valentine (girlfriend) – since we love both of ourselves equally, we are splitting the cup because your self-love and my self-love is equally important to me and you.

Saved A Little Love For Me

When the one you love leaves you behind–
walks away–

you quickly realize
people never stay.

That there is all but one soul
from which you can never run away.

So I look for signs of art–
trying to decipher my own heart.

And that’s a start?

Making peace with what I find
all in due time.

Shoutout to the, “Let yourself hurt”
people.

No thanks to the, “Love yourself first”
people.

They can’t make me love myself.

I should
so, I do?

Can’t be helped
so, I’m screwed?

No.

See,
I don’t know (for sure)
what love is.

So I’ll write what I do
and I’ll do it alone.

“Withhold and explode
or write what you know—

there’s no greater loss
than a story untold.”

With these words,
I’ve built a home

for my art,
my dream,
my heart.

They’re the ink behind my pen.

Because words on a page
beat life’s stage
time and time again.

“Any love reserved for me
is a love reserved for trying.”

People come & go that much I know
If I take off these rose colored glasses
Does the love around turn to grey
How does one know how love is really portrayed?
Is it chocolates or roses in a bouquet?

I wake up & wonder will I ever find my true love? Find the one?
All this love pent up inside me
If I were to grant it away
what could we become?

Taken into account my every flaw mistake & dream
I am the only one who decides where my love is given
& I choose the life in which I am living
Not only that, but who can say I’m not enough
If I, myself, have prevailed through times that are tough
Who better by my side
Who better to stand tall
Who better to proclaim all the traits to see for all
Who better understands my feelings
Who better than I?
A desire to live a life fulfilled
To allow myself the love while everyone else kneels
In a non supreme way
It’s my self-love placed on a pedestal everyday
A tad egotistical, possibly
Uh, conceited? respectfully
My worth of self & merited love is synonymous
I wanna heal my heart
I wanna follow through
No more broken promises

My body is my vessel
Kept safe for me to nestle
Once, twice put in danger
I’m the only one who can make me feel safer

A declaration of solitude & independence
for only a man can stand by me
with leadership & competence
for my heart & body recognize I’m safe in this instance
To entrust in you is no small feat
It is a privilege to see me &
Have access to my energy
The love you give me has the ability to resonate so clearly

I desire not to fit your idea of perfection
View me as an empress to be in selection
May you only approach with chivalry
Then I’m happy to oblige
But certainly do not consider me your prize
When it comes to my ego, let that be its’ demise
I’m presented as a Lady
To address me as anything but is not a reflection of how I’m behaving

If all these men are blind, I’ll reminisce back to my childhood & rewind
If they taint my perception of love, my own fairytale stays aligned

They say law of attraction
But I have concern, even hesitation
Can this really come true
With a snap of a finger
With a wave of a magic wand
Where in the universe
Will these affirmations belong
Lo & behold the universe is inside me
If what I desire is to manifest
I have to release control
& let this ego burn a slow death

Is it my frizzy hair
Or my unsmooth skin
All admirable yet vain
It’s my true love within
Pampering, luxury, & care are all high in demand
Please, universe, bless me if I were look to for a man

Dear Unsealers, (poem entry, not a letter)

when it should have been the beating, red vessel sandwiched between my outside eyes

if it were for the before days when society was feeling abandoned

where the imposter we saw in the shadows were terrified news hosts and burnt out brethren retiring from their zoom calls

i would have have fallen further beneath the undertow

but the continued dance of shaking hands and friendly smiles made the chain of events commence

and i began to embrace it:

my lips exhale the affirmed words of safety

the stares of the narrow-minded turn into LED bulbs-

hang on… there might be something here

open-mindedness is taking off its apron, rushing to greet me at the door,
i used to get nervous having company

but i have become my own best friend

i can snuggle in safety, buckle in my seatbelt as my brain indicates to me i have permission to slow down and pump the breaks – once i have learned to drive

i can touch my 8 x 11, knowing every jagged line is a mountain, ripple, pique and valley of a memory burned through trial and error-

my oddly favorite smell, a worked-out body

the feeling of ecstasy after nailing an impromptu choreography routine, loving the expressions i feed the mirror

i can now ignore the lights getting brighter, signaling my ending is near

and sure, i am only but a human. i have always seen where i’ve faltered, lacked, detracted. but i can feel myself become something grander – like a human version of a wind-up toy

i’ve accepted my body as a vessel, an input output machine like gradeschool homework, correcting my body when i set my skin on fire-

*takes a breath*

i have eczema

i’m slowly conquering the line between conceit and self-awareness

discovered obsessive sorries are empty pockets of exoneration

i replaced apprehension for curiosity, my pulse now beating within reason as the flicker of answered questions make way

“what’s that?” is now celebrated, not mocked with disgust by the random grump on the street

i recognize myself. really.

i’ve changed “i’m so pretty” to “there you are… i’ve been looking everywhere for you.

wow. you are magnified.

here’s your handle.

now hold on tight. you’re only going up.”

Love,
Me (Meghan Dhawan)