I'm not afraid to break...

...it tells me I'm alive
Dauntless to take risks
Keeping my heart open
To hurt and love as deep
No, I refuse to grow up
If it means making my heart picky
To think before I feel
That business has always been for me tricky

So my eyes well up when I see love in motion
Leaping out of slumber into bright, fiery agitation

My heart does a little dance-

Seeing the way ma and papa only get more selfless each day
...when they tell me they know how high I'll fly

With the carefree jiggle of street children

Exchanging smiles with an absolute stranger

Juggling chores to fit in some more time with my niece
...to hear her oft illegible words, feel her fingers clasp mine

To see a parent clown around to amuse their child

Hearing that one line in a song that sounds custom-written for me

Sitting through those few seconds in a touching commercial

Having grandparents who only know how to spoil me too much
...hugging tight their frail frames to feel their fading touch

Talking to an old chum after an age
...sounding like it's the best thing we've both done in a while

Knowing a few amazing people never tire of getting my back

Hearing a composition rise in beautiful crescendo

Giving a high five to a colleague over a task well accomplished

Finding friendship coming from strange quarters

Sharing a random hug

Seeing a young couple madly hopeful
...a middle aged one a sight of strength
...an old one stubbornly holding on

Being embraced in honest rapture

In the moment I close my eyes and kiss
...life seems too precious to miss

Happiness is a choice
A choice not as easy as it seems
It needs us to be brave
Make ourselves vulnerable
To feel
To hurt
To break

I've got broken some times too
In places where emotions felt the safest
It's not just when people close to me give a kick in the gut
...somehow that's easier to take
It's every time meanness clouds the good
When those who can't defend themselves are pushed further to the brink
When the thought 'at least that's not me!' does nothing to soothe the heart
When things seem somewhat beyond my control
When I've kept quiet because I pondered too long
When helplessness surrounds...

But I'd go on keeping this heart yield to feeling
Nursing open wounds, not relenting
They say we're strongest in the places we break
Let it be so then, I'm not afraid to ache.