Dangerously Equipped
I stand before you
exposed,
naked,
my secrets exposed
to you
by fearful choice.
I have handed you the gun,
counted out the bullets
one
by one.
You have all you need
to kill
or love.
About this poem
When we love, we make our selves vulnerable. There is magic and danger in that,
The picture is of two guns, one left to me by each grandfather.
Tom
Quarry House 
I’ve been following your poems and blogs and it’s clear that you have experienced a loss that has left you in pain. Just know that every being on earth has to cope with loss of some kind in their lifetime – which isn’t to say that your loss is in any way trivial. For me, it seems to be a matter of attitude. I was born to abusive parents, was a battered spouse, divorced twice, contracted an incurable illness, and right now my present husband is in hospice care with advanced Parkinson’s. Every one of these events hurt like hell, but in due course, I came to a fork in the road and I chose optimism over pessimism. If you wish to love and be loved, it requires one to be courageous enough to reach out in spite of fear. Conquering almost any fear involves doing what it is you fear over and over again. I’m not saying it’s a walk in the park, but it’s worth any discomfort. Running away from fear is akin to running away from love and you know this already because you are living it.
I think most of us, once we have some age on us, have experienced painful losses, have been hurt and betrayed. And stepping back into the ring takes the courage to be vulnerable. And I agree with you, it’s worth the fear to find love, and those who love you (in every way) again. Thank you for your note.