For Poets and Storytellers United
I love myself.’
the
quietest.
simplest.
most
powerful.
revolution.
ever.
Nayyirah Waheed
the
quietest.
simplest.
most
powerful.
revolution.
ever.
Nayyirah Waheed
Exercise in Self-love
I practice self-love in the mirror
“I love you woman “You’ve got this”
An empty canvas of emotions
stares back at me
What is this self-love?
What is love?
When young I had no eye
for the rose I now adore.
The rose did not change
Maybe an inner torch
was shining on an inner
source that knows beauty
My heart beats to the universe
When young I fell for
bewildering infatuation
Was this love?
bewildering infatuation
Was this love?
I got scars from
the broken pieces
of the jar of life.
I connected through
my wounds and learned
about love as
my wounds and learned
about love as
separation evaporated
A sensitive soul handled
my scars with care
my scars with care
I learned to accept
my imperfections
my shaded reflections
on the lilac lake of life
my imperfections
my shaded reflections
on the lilac lake of life
Now when it rains
inside
I seek shelter despite
a ceaseless ticking clock
I rest under the golden
moon and silver stars
I still wear the night
but also dress in radiant rays
as I was meant to shine
like a tangerine sun
I paint the world with light
but paint does not hold on all surfaces
and love is not always
enough
and what is love?
and what is love?
I falter as I look in the mirror
“You’ve got this”
I wait “and?”
“I am learning to love you woman”
The mirror smiles back
“You’ve got this”
I wait “and?”
“I am learning to love you woman”
The mirror smiles back
Marja Blom
The awareness that to be able to love the universe, one must love oneself first- came to me late, but 'better late late than never' , as they say.
ReplyDeleteYour beautifully written poem conveys a very important message: Love thyself, with all the imperfections and scars you've got!
Funny how the rose doesn’t need convincing about love but it does need a healthy environment to grow. Love is action as well as admiration so the word “Exercise” in the title sounds as fitting as your lyrically told tale about the process.
ReplyDeleteA reflective piece, thought-provoking too. Living alone, the only person I've seen of late is me, in the mirror. I wonder what it makes of me.
ReplyDeleteFor many of us, I think, self-love doesn't come easily or soon. I wonder why that is.
ReplyDeleteIf you love life it is always easy to love yourself and others too.
ReplyDeleteYour poem resonates with me Marja, especially the lines:
ReplyDelete‘I got scars from
the broken pieces
of the jar of life.’
We can only really love someone else when we accept and love ourselves. But once damaged, we need sensitive souls to handle our scars with care, so that we can learn to accept our imperfections. It’s reciprocal.
A beautiful exercise in self-love. How powerful it is to look in the mirror and smile back!
ReplyDeleteHi Marja - brilliant I loved it ... so thought provoking for us all. A challenge ... but possible - and so pleased you met that loving caring soul to be with you for life ... all the best - Hilary
ReplyDeleteEchoing what Rosemary said. It's a real shame that the realization can come so late for some of us, but how much worse would it be if we never found it at all? And even if it comes late, we can still hold up a decent example for the young, so they don't waste as much time as we did.
ReplyDeleteAh yes if you love yourself, loving others comes easy. So sad that immaturity tells us we must wait on someone to love us.
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday
Muchðlove
I'm thinking about the line about the rose. We had no eye for many things we can see now. Also love 'I wear the night.'
ReplyDeleteMany, many years ago, in a book on successful living, I marked the line "First you learn to love yourself". The phrase and its wisdom often come to mind through th years. Wise it was then, wise it is now!
ReplyDeleteI love this. I think few things are as healthy as self-love, as the knowledge that no matter what happens in the worlds we'll always find a smile in the mirror.
ReplyDeleteVery well done! I love the message and the progression of ideas, as well as the phrase "the lilac lake of life." These lines are fantastic: "I still wear the night / but also dress in radiant rays / as I was meant to shine." YES!
ReplyDeleteThis is a scrumptious poem ... every single stage of the story.
ReplyDeletea thought-provoking, even inspirational piece of work.
ReplyDeletei am not too sure i have self-love, but maybe i have it but is not aware about it. :)
Self-love is difficult, does not come easy. Nicely penned.
ReplyDeleteI love the first stanza...we have to love ourselves first to enable us to connect and love others.
ReplyDeleteRain on the inside. So thoughtful. Very beautiful poem about one's inner voice.
ReplyDeleteFabulous photo of the bud and the blossom, so appropriate for this insightful poem Marja.
ReplyDelete"I paint the world with light"....."The mirror smiles back".
Brilliant poem.
Big heart hugs
Peggy xxxx