Not. without. love.

If you’ve ever held any emptiness inside of you,  if there’s ever been an ounce of pain-hide it.

Because no one wants to see that.

But dear why do you want to make them so uncomfortable?

Keep quiet. That’s depressing. Did you see what *insert celebrity* did?

*Gasp*

 

If you’ve ever held any emptiness inside of you, if there’s ever been an ounce of pain-hide it.

Because the man who asks: what’s that? It’s beautiful. Can I hold her for a while?

He will build a cage with it and convince you it’s a castle

You are my princess he will grin

as he locks the steel door.

 

If you’ve ever held any emptiness inside of you, if there’s ever been an ounce of pain-hide it

Because no one is truly willing or can even help you find the key

You weak idiot they say

How could you let him put you in there?

 

If you’ve ever held any emptiness inside of you, if there’s ever been an ounce of pain within you-well maybe…

Maybe you should show it

Because while you rock yourself inside this cage

Back sore with only nibbles of sustenance

eventually….

the words “I love you” will appear

 

…and you will hold tightly onto them  and they will form a key and you will escape and this cage-it will collapse into your arms like a child passed out after a long day, snoring lightly with its heart beat loud and its body warm and rising and you will say

I love you

 

This is why the next time a charming stranger walks up to you

wide grin and hands too ready for cage-making saying

She’s so beautiful, can I hold her?

You will laugh

 

You will laugh so loudly that the grin is wiped from his face

and his too-ready hands fall off with a thud

And you will say

 

Not without love

Not without love

Not. without. love.