The?of <3

It is often said
That to love
one must first love themselves
Then begs the question
How does one love themself?
Is this a trick question?
Does it require
inundating oneself
With the material things of the world? Or perhaps
Allowing the connection of another to one’s soul?
Is it found in the commune with nature? Basking in the warmth of the sun? Maybe
its found hidden
underneath
The depths of one’s thoughts. Intertwined
in the arms of a lover?
Disguised as love for one another?
The question is
how does one love themselves? Answering to the ether
Lingering
in the knowledge
gained on the path
Life takes you through
For we are only here
In the midst
of the flesh
for a short time
Or two
Loving oneself
is not a question
The answer
is already written
One must listen
In the stillness of the night
When all the world is hidden
One must feel their heartbeat
Inhale and exhale
their breath
For the life you live
Is love
in and of itself
Pain and pleasure
are but ideals of the mind
Experience is learned lessons
Brought about through time
Time is but a random measurement That persists
when the lessons you are trying to learn Seem like endless battles
Fought.
There is no question far greater
Than what is love?
Many choose to seek the answer
Yet when a child is crying
One is quick to comfort
Love
is simply
Love
And to love oneself
One
must simply love.

© Sharbi3 2012

Soft spot, Rough terrain

Emotion:

If you do not feel.
You are not alive.
If you feel too much,
you are perceived as weak.
If you do not feel enough,
you are cold.

Emotion is a sensitivity.
An intuitive connection with things going on in and around you.
Some have been fashioned to be emotionless.

Like a stone that has been sitting under the cold temperature of an endless stream.

Like a stone that has been fashioned to be smooth
because of the endless stream
that flows over its edges
and slowly begins to seal the cracks.

Emotion is to feel.

To be alive
in the moment
of both pleasure and pain.

Expression of emotion
is neither a sign
of strength or weakness.
It is a trait
of being human
and having a soul that is connected
to all the universe.

©Sharbi3