your gratuity
is not sincere
if it is balanced as a pendulum.
the anticipation of return
counteracts
the authenticity
of generosity.

it is acceptance that brings humility-
acceptance that a gift
is not equal
to inherent necessity for reward.
you cannot define "gracious"
while using the words
"owed"
or
"deserved."

allow every inch of your heart
to be a gift.
to be opened
received
and valued
for it is not in balance
that we show love-
but in the counterbalanced abnormality
of sharing.

Love is not just about you
And surely not just about me.
Love never exists anywhere
Unless we’re both free.
It cannot be a prison
Where one holds the key.
Love is not just about you
And surely not just about me.

Love is never selfish
If so, it’s something different.
It may be lust or desire
But it is some other sentiment.
You might wish it to be love
But if it’s all about what you meant
Then it is something besides love
Caanot stand as its equivalent.

If you love someone you wish
They get all that is good for them.
You say prayers for their life
And then you say amen.
Because you wish them to have
All the joy there ever has been,
And when they get that, you wish
That it will happen once again.

So, how can it be love if you
Wish only what you may need?
How can it be love if it is
All about your own sense of greed?
Love is not just about you
And surely not just about me.
Love never exists anywhere
Unless we’re both free.

If you love
The poorest moment
Makes you feel wealthy.
Your weakest movement
Will make you feel healthy.
You’ll count your blessings
As many as stars in the sky.
You’ll know you are fortunate
And you will know exactly why.

If you love
Your friends will not forget you,
Your memories will be joys to the end.
You will be the sunshine in life
To yourself and your beloved friends.
You will all gather to celebrate
Whenever you possibly can do it.
And those friends will stand the tide
Of reversal and see you through it.

If you love,
You will appreciate life’s many gifts.
The slightest gesture is like gold
If it is meant to wish you all the best.
The blessings age as you grow old.
You’re friends and family will smile
And shine the light of their eyes
Because you are before them and
Their love cannot be disguised.

If you love,
All that life can gather to give you
Will be magnificent memories of joy
That make you feel like you were a child
And had the gift of a wonderful toy;
One you had always wanted, or even
One you never had known was real.
But, if you love, you will have it all.
You will be glad of the love you feel.

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.

Being happy isn't having enough money to go out tonight
it isn't slurring your words
or being surrounded by birds
in a bar or on a hillside.
Being happy isn't having your political party in power
or having *** in the shower
or drinking your favourite tea
or getting down on one knee and hearing a shriek of joy.
it's understanding the word "no"
and carrying your grandma's wishes with you wherever you go.
Being happy isn't a fluffy, roasted sweet potato
or a sesame bagel with smashed avocado
it's stooping down low
and saying hello to what grows
at the bottom of the social food chain
and talking and taking away a bit of someone else's pain
it's swapping smiles with a new stranger every day
walking miles through danger not to have your say
but to hear someone else's.
Being happy is always giving a couple of quid to the homeless,
whether you have it or not.
it's keeping smiling when there's a twist in your plot
Being happy, it's, it's cleaning your flatmate's dishes as well as your own
it's having a clear state of mind - where you feel at home.

The ***** sleeps on the bench,
people walk by,
they need their necessities ;
even though they cannot afford to chose morality .
All they want is their supernova.
Empathy is just too taxing
for their fettered brains.

she spreads goodness
in a way that
not everyone could
see her for
what she truly is.

but she is hidden
behind the darkness
of the night sky
and the clock's
busy, ticking hands.

taken for granted
during both the
breaking dawn and
dusk of day.

yet she still does not mind.