GIFTS

I Love You

Are you comfortable

with yourself?

Do you need

to fill the silence

or can you sit with it?

Have you ever been

in a car

that’s upside down?

Your smile

Your presence

Your warmth

Your calm

Your laughter

Your touch

Your encouragement

Your strength

Your thoughtfulness

The way you listen

These are the priceless gifts

that most can’t afford

because they don’t know where

to find them

Or they have given them freely

only to see them broken

These gifts do not make headlines

You will not find them listed in sale fliers

The economic world puts no value

on what makes us human

on what makes us compassionate

on what keeps us going

The world prefers to show us

all the things “we deserve”

They are empty promises

You could give gifts to someone

You could accept gifts from someone

so you both could feel

needed

loved

known

as a necessary part

of someone’s life

as a reason to be alive

More valuable than high-fashion hype,

More treasured than Facebook friend ‘likes’

you could give gifts to someone,

you could accept gifts from someone

so that you’d both know

that you’ve changed

that your ‘first look’ essence remains

that you are still loved

for who you are at this moment

for how you appear at this moment

for the person you’ve grown into

for the parts of you that have been lost

for the parts of you that remain

for the parts of you that have been rearranged

Take your eyes off the world

Pay attention

so you are not found 

in a car upside down

Be quiet, sit in silence

Do not withhold your gifts

wrap them in love

give them freely and often to others.

~LJ Austin 5-9-24

ART: LJ Austin “Framing the Flame” 2022