Things To Love 09.09.2009 Poem by Margaret Alice

Only solution that ever works for the allergy
is to eat sugars for instant energy, followed by
instant let-downs, bien entendu, but at least a
momentary revival of interest in life is worth
several hours of pain and confusion

Life is a trade-off between ups and downs, an
average of neutral middle-of-the-road moments
neither passionate nor desperate, is a worthless
deal, I prefer paying in blood for the things I
love to sitting in restful calm with things that
cannot stir my soul or move my spirit

I want to live while I'm alive, I'm sorry I complain
when I feel bad, but if I did not I cannot exult in the
good times, I had reached a state of resigned calm
long ago - neither up nor down, life turned grey
like ashes, everything seemed horribly dead

To be able to feel joy welling up, I willingly accept
the gnashes where pain sears, burning welts in my
skin, every crevice becomes the birthplace of more
joy than before, the best is, nothing leaves a scar
everything heals beautifully, the pain is needed
in advance to create space for the joy to come

Whatever the deal, if enthusiasm and passion are part
of it, count me in, I love unguardedly, give totally, grieve
unrestrictedly, bleed internally, lamenting profusely and
in the raw place formed by the pain new sources of
fulsome joy grow, fountains of energy surging upwards

I keep a look-out for more things to love, subjects and
people, though the clashes between people I love make
me ill, I go on loving them and always will, BOTH are
right at the same time, if only they could learn not to
force their opinions on each other all the time

Oh, people are wonderful, even though they put
daggers in my heart, I shall always embrace them
hug them, adore them, keep my laments to myself
and those who suffer through my outpourings on
paper, the long-suffering page taking care of my
secrets so well…