I love you

I don’t say it much

many years ago I was told

don’t over-use important words

they wear out

like emotions

like people

who begin with bright intention

and end, dim with exhaustion

every day I try to wake with hope

many times I fail and the voices

of pain, fatigue, disappointment win

I try with each new dawn

the Self-Help books would proclaim me

a work in progress, or failure

depending on their severity

sometimes I judge myself harshly

staring in the mirror, seeing all the

ways I could have ‘done better

other times I see the traps

we build ourselves

to step into and snare.

On those days I feel peaceful;

to others, I may seem no different,

but there is less urgency in my chest

to burst and rend me to pieces

on those days I find I laugh

a little easier, and the lines left

behind by the smile, are caught

in sunlight

reminders, we must be ourselves

not the version bequeathed

by the glistening void

so …

I love you

I promise not to wear it out

though I cannot promise not to wear out

for some days I can’t accomplish much

but surviving I find

is some kind of success

and if you can love after that?

Then all the better

20 Replies to “Lines left behind by the smile”

  1. Saying “I love you” cannot be worn out as long as the emotions and actions match. It is only when they are out of sync, do the words hang hollow and worn.
    As long as the words are true, say them as often as you can

  2. half agree. I think things can be said too much but essentially, the emotion can never be meaningless – agree with that part xo

  3. What a beautiful, authentic, and raw exploration of the Being Human 🙂 Thank you, friend.

  4. When the truth of it is there, when the saying of “I love you.” warms your own heart as much as the other’s, even when tinged with some pain or grief, then it does not wear out.

    And, I’m reminded of a verse from “Mongrel Pup” by Buffy Sainte Marie:

    Robots of gloom they come and go
    Don’t let em get you down
    Laughter is the grease of growth
    Support your local clown
    Don’t ever be afraid to smile
    At what you really love
    Laughter is the grease of growth. Yeah.

  5. Amen . . . And, I hear you.

    “by the glistening void

    so …

    I love you

    I promise not to wear it out

    though I cannot promise not to wear out

    for some days I can’t accomplish much

    but surviving I find

    is some kind of success

    and if you can love after that?

    Then all the better”

    A lovely write on this Monday morning.

  6. the lines left/ behind by the smile, are caught/ in sunlight / reminders, we must be ourselves/ not the version bequeathed/ by the glistening void — so perfectly captures those moments when we are truly ourselves– beautifully done

  7. How right you are. BTW MIRACLE I am getting all your responses. Horrah! I couldn’t agree more btw – meaning what you feel/say matters most and in this world it seems to be a challenge sometimes because of our penchant for false and masks.

  8. Dear Annette Thank you so much for following the new site and for reading. It really, really means a lot to me. thank you my friend. C xo

  9. If we are a lovely person like you – you remind me of things that matter most xo

  10. Is it obvious I thought of our conversations when writing that? 😉 xo love to you

  11. You and I may be the only ones left who love Buffy S Marie. I adore her. Great words too – and her voice (swoon) did you watch NOMADLAND yet?

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