True Love Poem by Ghada Shahbender

Did you ever
Run your fingers through a burning flame
To make sure that it would burn you
Run straight into a closed door
To find out how much it would bruise you
Look straight at a naked lamp
Knowing it would blind you
I did it all
And now I’m sure
The blisters will heal.
And now I have found out
The bruises will fade
And now I know
I will nurture the light inside of me
For as long as it takes to deliver the child
Not a stillborn, lifeless child
This will be a perfect child,
A healthy child - not deformed or maimed
The child that I have already named
True Love.