Because You Are Love

You’re not really

December 25, 2024 by John Gillen Leave a Comment

a poem of survival

At first
You hope
That you’ll never love someone
That much
That way
Ever again

You hope
That love
Will leave you alone now
You hope that its pain
And anguish
Griefs and sorrows
Will pass away
And leave you
In healthy peace
To heal
And rest

But then
You realize
That without love
You’re not really
Surviving
Only not dying
You’re not really
Living
Only existing

In order
To survive
To live
You must
Love
You need
To
Love

And so
In time
You begin again
To summon
The courage
To look
To love
Again

Not because you are a fool
Not because you are weak
Not because you are stupid
Or blind
Or naive
But because
You are courageous
Strong
But most of all
Because you
Are
Love

—

This post was previously published on medium.com.

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Photo credit: Leighann Blackwood on Unsplash

About John Gillen

At ten years old, John Matthew Gillen was sent to a summer camp where campers were allowed one elective activity.

John was the only camper who chose Storytelling. The camp director asked him to choose another class so they wouldn't have to offer Storytelling that year.

John refused.

Since then, he has been fired for writing poetry at work, cussed out by the Chief Clerk of the United States Supreme Court for accusing him of Satan worship, and has spent over $10,000 on tickets to Bob Dylan concerts.

John's first novel, American Blasphemer, was published in May, 2020, and premiered at #1 in the world on Amazon’s Kindle Store in American Literary Fiction.

His debut short film, 'American Ugly', played a dozen film festivals around the country, and his recently produced 'Legacy Sessions' won several awards on the festival circuit.

John has had his written work published in literary journals including The Laurel Review, Storgy Magazine, and The New Guard Literary Review, and he is currently the Chief Content Editor for Soigne Magazine.

His favorite authors include Jorge Luis Borges and Hank Bukowski, and he harbors a deep reverence for Martin Scorsese.

Follow me on Medium:
medium.com/@johngillen