When you love, like a rocket into space
You launch a once secret piece of yourself
On a thrilling ride into the unknown –
And part of you clenches with choking fear
For there you are, exposing your true self
Opening to the world to reveal your
Tender vulnerabilities, those hidden
Secrets now they stir and call out loudly,
Unashamed as a sweet young child who has
Never felt rebuked
Open, visible, you revel in this
Bright declaration, this lowering of
Those fierce fortress walls that for too long you
Hid behind; now high in the sky you soar
Half excited, and half trembling, afraid;
Succumbing to the pull of the journey,
You let the giddy emotion whirl through
Your mind, and swirl freely in the currents
Of your blood – now knowing this is what it
Means to be alive
Image: Munch, “The Kiss”