To Love and Be Loved

by Jeannie E. Roberts

Before this hiding, what did you want?

Behind this veil, what do you fear?

Is your heart troubled? Why are you here?

Have you lost hope, vanished from sight?

What do you want? Where is your light?

Have you been lonely? Is seclusion your truth?

Are you weary of living? Can displacement

take root? Have you stopped holding tokens?

Are you done catching crumbs?

When will you heal, be whole to the sum?

Before this hiding, what did you want?

Behind this veil, what do you fear?

Could love be your purpose, what's missing, 

my dear? Beyond this hiding, try finding

a door, send love through the keyhole,

keep sending, send more. What do you want?

Why are you here? To love and be loved,

the answer is clear.

* * * * *

Jeannie E. Roberts has authored six books, including The Wingspan of Things (Dancing Girl Press, 2017), Romp and Ceremony (Finishing Line Press, 2017), Beyond Bulrush (Lit Fest Press, 2015), and Nature of it All (Finishing Line Press, 2013). She is also author and illustrator of Rhyme the Roost! A Collection of Poems and Paintings for Children (Daffydowndilly Press, an imprint of Kelsay Books, 2019) and Let's Make Faces! (author-published, 2009). Her work appears in print and online in North American and international journals and anthologies. She holds a B.S. in secondary education, M.A. in arts and cultural management, and is poetry editor of the online literary magazine Halfway Down the Stairs. When she’s not reading, writing, or editing, you can find her drawing and painting, or outdoors photographing her natural surroundings.