So Much by Clare Elsaesser

Friends,

I was going to write a long post about this crazy semester, or about how much I love autumn, or about how I’m holding my head up even in the midst of trying times, but… I couldn’t seem to choose one or fit all of it into one cohesive post.

I think I’ll leave it for another day.

For now, here’s a poem I wrote:

What the world could use.

Love slips your hand under the cool side of the pillow,
when you are not sure whether to toss or to turn.
Love is clicking the up button on an elevator when you still feel low.
Love does not adjourn when the verdict is called and your stomach churns.

Love does not walk away when the car door is frozen shut,
nor does it blow out the candle in the middle of a frigid night.
Love will take the long way home and love will not accept a price cut.
Love will fight with letters strung together, not with a knife or a gunfight.

Love runs until its lungs are bleeding and bruised,
but love will let you go, it will not chain your beating heart.
Love will not destroy you or leave you feeling misused.
Love will not steal your heart; it will be your counterpart.

And in the middle, the end, and the beginning
love will leave you poems and stories for printing.