I am slowly
beginning
to realize
that to love
can be easy,
but also very
difficult.
It can be
innate,
and sometimes
it must be learned.
It can be
as a well-mothered
baby
and also
be orphaned.
It can be oppressed,
and it can be
welcomed.
It can be hoped for,
and its flame
can also be
smothered
with doubt.
If
you have the strength
and courage
you may
trust
in its donor,
even as a small child
blindly puts its
faith
and hope
into the hands of a
kindly stranger.
Initially, it is
seed like,
and how it is nurtured
depends
on you...
whether you wish it
to reach
its maturity
in the form of
a dandelion....
or
a rose....

cj 1971