Love beckons yet repulses more.
Come hither, see your ugliness, beauty:
“Your gifts and your misses
see who you are through the eyes of your Lover,
see yourself here in His mirror.”
Falling in love: like a face plant in the mud.
When truly with a Lover’s heart
held to a higher level
seeing greater potential;
not permitting dawdling
in the lesser realms of oneself
Love demands growth into a better person.
To rise up dragons must be faced, slayed,
Light shined on darkness; all ugliness revealed.
Less than this is merely living fantasy;
To be in love with the idea of love, no skin in the game
A fruitless journey that keeps us all the same.
Love can lift us upon a wind,
Only when the dross is lost
traded in for something greater, bigger than one.
Love demands more of us
so few truly willing to pay the price
for who truly wants to shed one’s own skin?
So, I sit in the castle’s keep
waiting for my own heart, willingly to take that leap.
I look to the valley, where the apples are so sweet.
So much easier to just stay asleep.
For in my tower, I am complete in my power
untouchable yet lonely.
~~~
The Battle of Evermore calls to the epic internal struggle seen in The Lord of the Rings, where each character is an archetype for a part of each one of us; the good, the bad, the ugly. This song invaded my mind after my first draft of this poem. I fought against this song initially. Then in looking further, I saw the parallels and even altered the poem slightly to fit the song; not my m.o.
To fall in love is addicting, yet for love to last it requires that we lose ourselves to some degree. Compromise is required, at the very least. The hardest thing, I believe, is seeing myself through the eyes of a Lover. To see myself, the best more than the worst, is a difficult pill to swallow.
When in the midst of love, I do not like the person I become. Usually confident, I fall into self-doubt and questioning of every-single-thing. The brightness dims. Can I truly be accepted for all of who I am? Where I do not accept myself comes to light. Where I have been rejected in the past, old wounds, all resurface.
So it is tempting to seek for love, to leave the tower to taste the apples of the valley. Yet the apples are perishable, they eventually give to rot. In my tower I am safe, yet it’s a lonely place. To leave, to be vulnerable is as to fall from grace. I lose my confidence. I must face where I do not trust. Then I am constantly questioning myself and wondering, is this truly the One? A Neo to my Trinity. To love is to get dirty.
Images: google
[…] Source: The Battle of Love […]
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True. Well articulated again Tiff.
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Thank you, BP!
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Love is a battle. So true. We battle ourselves, our own demons and shortcomings. It brings out the best and the worst in us. It pushes us outside of our comfort zones or it drives us in deeper. It’s something that can make us feel the deepest pleasures and the deepest pains. Indeed, it is so tempting in the face of all that to stay locked away in our own towers in the safety of our fairytale dreams, rejecting the realities. Well said friend. 💕
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Thank you, Amy! I always enjoy your comments. Yes, I doubt I will be able to stay in the tower for long. It is not in my nature to do so, it’s just where I find myself at this time. Much love, Tiffany
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Your words are true, Tiffany, it’s easy to stay in the tower where we have our own power but if we don’t venture out then we’ll never really know how strong we can be. And how many dragons we can slay. Beautifully said Tiffany. Hugs to you my friend. xo
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Miriam, Thank you for your thoughtful reply! Yes, I am in retreat right now. It will not last forever, I see the strength in loving and allowing love. Thank you, my friend! Tiffany (PS I trust the AC is working again?)
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Thinking of you Tiffany and I hope that this time will give you the rest and peace that you need. And yes, we now have new air con working, which is a huge relief! Take care.
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Thank you, Miriam! Yes, I’m changing my ways to restore more than deplete. 💜
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That sounds very wise Tiffany. xo
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😃 it means I’m not doing as much reading. Did some yesterday and started feeling depleted. So it was time to stop. I will read more as I’m able. Thank you so much, Miriam, for your continued love, understanding and support! It means a ton and I can feel it from the other side of the world. Many hugs and much love! Tiffany 💜
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I know what you mean about the reading and feeling depleted Tiffany. There are some days where I feel the same yet the urge to read is like an addiction. It’s just too hard to keep up and sometimes the best thing is to take a step back. As you’re doing. Big hug.
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I love that you understand me, Miriam. And that you support me! Have a great weekend!
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You have a great weekend too Tiffany. Take care and relax. xo
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Yes, ma’am! I have a busy weekend with many plans with friends. Recharging! And some writing.
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Sounds perfect. Enjoy.
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Big hugs back!
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Look at you. Expressing such moving and emotional thoughts. Great writing Cara. 👏👏❤️
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Thank you, Sir! 💜 Cara
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Sir! that made me laugh Cara.
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Awesome!
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This is beautifully layered and complex Tiffany! I feel this – you must be ready to pay the entire price of love or not fall – I wonder about this because having just taken love as far as I could in this world – I wonder about this and agree….to see yourself reflected in the soul of another who only sees the best in you — there is nothing more than that – but you do get dirty and you do plunge — complex and layered –
And sorry I did not realize you were back posting – this is a great start!
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Thank you, Wayne! Yes, I just posted another one. I think there is one between, too. I’m posting, just less frequently. Thank you for reading and commenting!
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Couldn’t find the “like” button. Despite the number of posts I’ve put up I still have difficulty navigating wordpress on so many differently themed pages. Anyway, yes, this is very much eros yearning to be agape. I’ll send you more detailed explanation shortly.
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Thank you!
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[…] The Battle of Love I chose to isolate myself in my Castle’s Keep. At the time, I felt defeated and it was […]
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