New Poetry by Sasha Pospielovsky

Love Lessons

Love came to me with soft voices

Promising me warm hands in winter

But then it gave me my first lesson

On how truly cold it can be

Just by ripping that warmth away

I have to learn to stop calling this hunger romance 

To stop mistaking the bruise for kisses

For now, I'll just have to learn to love myself 

And I don't mean by being gentle

I mean by being unkind and selfish 

I tear out old hopes by their roots

Whispering secrets into the bare veins

I feel guilt for trying to love myself

For letting myself become this narcissistic 

But my guilt does not purify me

Instead, it helps me grow

I grow to learn that love is what we choose to do

Not just what we hope to feel

So I take notes from this lesson

I pay attention closely 

Preparing myself for the next lecture