In Praise of Conditional Love

On One Condition

Just don't abuse me,
and I will love you forever.
Please don't abuse me,
so I can love you forever.
A part of me was made specifically for a part of you.
But if you try to kill another part
to which you have no response
just because it makes you fear
that I will leave,
then I will have to go.
You are not the only one I love;
that's why not all of me belongs to all of you.
But our love is unique in all the universe,
so please please let me forever give
that part of me that's just for a part of you.


by Carl Johann Schroeder, Jan 11, 2012,
you may share with credit given.

And just to be clear so there's no undue concern, the poem came to me from thinking about relationships that were unsupportive of my potential so I couldn't feel safe and had to leave to be and explore more of my true self, a situation that's often felt in families of various kinds where there are psychic contracts to not go outside the box. I share the words to resonate with many kinds of emotional unsafety, and give strength for making better boundaries like we all need for the changes of 2012. No one's growth should suffer from another person's problems that they need to solve for themselves.