Poem--Teach Me True Love...

Take from me the selfishness
That would keep you chained to me;
Give me the courage to set you free,
Knowing that it is in your freedom,
And not your bondage
That I shall gain what I seek.
The chain would wring that delicate bond
And wrench that loving heart…

Take from me the reluctance and fear
That keep me from you:
Give me the courage to trust in you
And in what we share
Enough to dispel all fears of losing you,
And break the cage of shyness,
To tell you that I do care—a lot!

Take from me my self-doubt;
Because it makes me miserable
And builds a wall around me
That you cannot penetrate…
I don’t want to build walls
That divide us in any way;

Take from me the jealousy
Created by my imagination and fear:
That is my doing—not yours;
Yet it hurts both you and me…
I love you; I would not hurt you
For anything in the world.

Give me the confidence I seek:
That I am not asking too much
In wanting your love…
That I am not giving too little:
My own heart-full of affection…
That you love me for what I am:
For myself—and inspite of myself.

This is the voice that cries out
Both from the depths of despair,
And from the throes of joy…
For, human as I am, I cannot help
The way I feel, foolish though it may be;
My only thirst is the thirst
Of every human heart for love.