ALS NaPoWriMo Day 2 Prompt: “The complex realm of relationships”
My poem follows inspiration from the following quote of Khalil Gibran, and I’ve also incorporated the four agreements from the book “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz.
“Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, most of the love is lost.”– Khalil Gibran
Poem: Words said-unsaid
“Between what is said and not meant,
and what is meant and not said, most of the love is lost.”
If only we were true to ourselves,
And to those for whom we use our words,
The gift of relations wouldn’t be misjudged.
—
We were born as beings of love,
Designed to prosper with the energy of love,
To expand steadily with the strengthening of bonds–
Bonds of relations sent to guide and protect us,
And deepen our experience as beings on earth.
—
I am not who I was meant to be,
I am not who I truly wanted to be,
I am not who you perceive or expect me to be,
I evolve each day per the conundrum of aspirations,
My existence I owe to Thee, and for my evolution, I’m indebted to my relations.
—
Bit by bit I was put to tests–all to aid my growth, or so I believe,
Expectations, control, judgements, resentments–
Moulded I was as per social dictums.
Nurtured to adhere to all relationship agreements,
Unwritten rules, unsaid prohibitions.
—
But baffled I felt with the roster of shoulds,
Dos and Don’ts that seemed to rule.
Relations were neither linear nor lucid,
They acted and reacted per their notions and whims,
Letting their statutes percolate through the wide loopholes.
—
Perplexed and ambiguous, I felt in their web,
Was the ruckus about themselves, or was I the culprit?
Some things should be said; some shouldn’t ever be mentioned,
Which ones are which, takes a lifetime to decipher!
“But aren’t we all here to just grow with relational love?” I reminded myself
—
No presumptions I shall make about things said or unsaid,
It isn’t always about me,
Everyone is simply doing their best,
With compassion in my heart,
I must ensure to be impeccable with my words and intent.
—
So “Between what is said and not meant,”
Rage, misunderstanding, and hurt begin to swell;
“And what is meant and not said,”
Never reaches the other’s heart to nourish the seed of love,
And that’s how “most of the love is lost.”
—
©Vandana Bhasin
02.04.2025
