Uncomfortable Love

It was supposed to be perfect, beautiful,
full of the kinds of memories
that made choirs sing hosannas
and brought tears of joy to your eyes, but

of course, this is real life and
instead the ending was more nightmare than fairy tale,
a horror film, dark and full of secrets,
where the most sweet promises

became twisted and horribly wrong,
where heads turned too far and hearts
broke, leaving scars so ragged
that you leave them covered in soft shirts

that hide the pain from those who watch,
but not from you, nor from God, who
watches as you take the step of faith
to a place past comfort, deep

into fear, hoping that on the other side of your nightmare,
light shines.

About This Poem

Love is supposed to be all fairy tale like, but we all know that often, it isn’t. Some people can bounce back after a broken heart easily, whether it happens when we are young and impressionable, or later in life with the tragic betrayal of divorce.

Other of us struggle. Love becomes less a golden feeling of joy than a fearful thing. The path back to finding the joy is less spontaneous, more tentative than we would like it. And when we do fall in love again, it is an act of courage that few people understand, or appreciate.

It doesn’t just “happen”. But it is no less precious for the different path it takes to get there. In fact, it may be more precious for the courage it takes.

The picture was taken at an antique fair I went to this past weekend. I was struck by the dolls and their slightly horror movie look, such a contrast to the sweet tenderness that we think of when we think about a girl’s doll. And from that picture, this poem.

Tom