Dear Young Us,

I know love to be both a villain and hero. It cuts deep into your being in an effort to rip from your inside parts all that is most vulnerable. All of your fortress walls and guards are shattered and destroyed. Your ego—slowly, but surely slain and laid to rest only to be reborn again akin to an infant free of knowing only certain of being.

In truth, there is no greater friend or adversary than love. The latter is the greatest revelation I can share from the past 35 lovetrips around the sun.

I am the war raging in my spirit.

       —  from Freedom, Path EP

Many days, love has felt like a relentless war of ever-spiraling cycles. All parties involved are constantly berating and being bombarded with rounds of mental and emotional ammunition. In time, it all begins to take a spiritual and physical toll on each person. Because deep down deep, we are all just fighting trying to figure out how to or how not to love each other unconditionally. There are no perfect lovers, be they familial, romantic, or platonic, only mirrors who reflect back to us all of our most beautiful and or broken parts.

Peace

You’ve taught me
the beauty of love and war
Life raged within me like battle torn soldiers
filled with passions, but out of ammo. With no hope left
you are the wind that blew the embers
from that distant utopian land.
You are the spark
which set fire to the enemy’s encampment. The blaze
who burned freedom free.

from “Metronome” (Yet to be released)

Thank you for your eyes and hearts. May Source find you through the windows of someone else’s heart.

With love,

<3 Egypt

© 2024 All Rights Reserved, O’Dellshae TruVarsha Wiles Robinson El Bey writing as Egypt English. Enjoyed this piece? Check out my latest book: “My Mother Said Write” (2023).