Trust

I never had a problem trusting people. Probably because I always thought that I was a good judge of character. When you get to know a person you understand their positive and negative traits, in relation to your own self. As you grow, too, you understand that people put themselves first. They may not do so deliberately; many times selfish acts are done involuntarily. Even murders have degrees.

But when trusting someone becomes imperative – when you fall in love for example – it takes a certain amount of time and understanding. But when do you stop trusting? When you stop loving, I suppose. Love is blind. Shakespeare understood this, and he wasn’t only talking about subjective beauty. He was talking about how emotions alter our perspective of people.

Maybe that is why I have always been very cautious of falling in love. I have taken time to understand a person before I commit. Over the years though, I have also understood another thing. People don’t show you all the facets of their personality – all at once. They unfold. Like blooming flowers. It takes time to understand another person. In the interim, then love evolves too.

If you just love a person, you may not understand the growth. You understand the different facets, only when you are attuned to the idea of development. You have not seen the person in his or her or their entirety. Circumstances change. The personality reacts to the circumstance it falls into. Therefore, you must understand this. You have not been in all circumstances; therefore you will not see all the facets of their personalities – at least not until the circumstance happens.

Ergo, your love can grow, too. The love I have for a man stays constant in the circumstances I have seen him in. In newer or older circumstances, I may not like certain traits. In a minute example, I could say, I love him for the way he has always held me at night. In time, the holding remains a constant, and so my love stabilizes. In a new circumstance, I may have to get used to the idea that he is prejudiced against people with coloured eyes. It will be an idea that I have to get used to. In another new circumstance, I will love him for standing up to his family when it is required. Love can grow and it can take a pause. But if it starts diminishing, then that is a problem.

It is the same with trust. Love can exist without trust. Yes. But it is difficult to keep loving with pain. When you are in pain all the time, it is difficult for love to keep finding a foot hold. Then like physical pain, one needs a pain killer – and that becomes dangerous for a love relationship.

Let Go

I have let go of
My reaching out to you;
And your warmth in bed;
And otherwise, too.

I have let go of love;
And love has let me go;
I doubt there’s greater pain
Than that of feeling so.

I have let go of a past,
With no great regrets;
I have let go of how soon
Every man forgets.

I have let go of dreams;
Because mine are strangers,
With no wealth or power;
But different dangers.

I let go of being betrayed;
Of not being caressed;
I let go of the intimacy
That promises professed.

I have held lives I loved,
In the palm of my hand;
And made the decision,
You may never understand.

I have let go of ash
From the bodies I burned;
And let the sea have those
For whom I yearned.

When I’ll let go of hope,
I’ll give up the last part of me,
Then will there never be,
A speck left for you of me.

I Can

I can live without you:
I have my own, dear friends;
Memories that blossom,
In nights that never end.

I can smile without you:
Hours of movies I love,
I have no fear of death,
Or hope in god above.

I can thrive without you:
I have a love of books;
And art and poetry –
All that can’t come from looks.

I can love without you:
I have men who want me,
A family that cares,
Even strangers do see.

I do have a full life,
That can go on without you –
I can love just myself –
I have chosen not to.