In life, is there a certain amount of gratitude that we must have?
A certain amount of appreciation?
Should we only receive when we're ready to be grateful?

I find this challenging...
Being able to accept a gift of something kind, but feeling as if your reaction or emotions aren't substantial enough to support what you have received.

Naked;
No more protection
All my scars are visible
Every body part is uncovered
My beauty is unfiltered
I'm on display
Whether you like me or not
I'll show you all of my beauty
Love me
Explore me with ease
But respect God's art.

We see
colours
categories
styles
religions
values
differences
But we don't see the love that marries all of these together

Forced away
Lured back
Back and forth
I fight both directions
As I fight
I split
Tear
Wider
Deeper
The ocean fits into this cavity
I've drowned

The cliché "contrast" is black and white
But in reality there is much more to contrast:
Success and failure,
Night and day,
Living and thriving.

Once living the dream, now living the nightmare.
That's reality's contrast
Once being confident, now being sceptical.
That's reality's contrast.

The only visible light and dark contrast in reality is whether you cry during the day where everyone can see you and your sufferings or during the night where no one can see the real you and what you have come to.

Darkness might be beautiful, but only when you see glimmers of light.
You'll go out into the city and describe the darkness as beautiful just because of the light you see within the darkness.

Darkness allows you to blend in
Your inner darkness escapes as you cry
As you express yourself to the surrounding emptiness
Eventually you become covered with your emitted darkness.

Cry during the day and the viewers will look, glance, stare

laugh

And they know what you're going through?

You get drenched in darkness by the actions of others and your own excretion.

Darkness can house beauty, but darkness is slowly taking over.