When I was five,
My dad told me
"The world is tough,
So you have to be tough."

He told me
My grandfather taught him
The same thing.
"Tough love,"
They dubbed it.

Eighteen years later
I discovered that
Tough love is a myth:

Love is never tough.
It boasts of vulnerability to
Unforeseen and unnecessary pain
By the one
You have given access to.
It will be your compass
As you navigate the
Unexplained and uncountable reasons
Why you chose to stay put
When all the world was against you,
Why you chose to let go
When your heart whispered otherwise.

Love is many things
And also not many things
It is gentle, but never weak
It is forgiving, but never naive
It is honest, but never offensive
It is sincere, but never foolish.
But love is never tough.