The Shift

 "It is better to have loved and have lost, then to have not loved at all"
These words are painfully true
I sit and ponder upon them well

As I reflect upon all that love has put me through.

I think of my first love, how much I wanted to be with her so.

I had life all figured out, I would have never let her go.

I remember my friend and little buddy; all the hope I saw in her.

For years I loved her secretly, only to see hope disappointingly deferred.

I briefly remember another, and how she left when I needed her the most

Yet somehow I made it through that dark struggle, Oh, because God held me close.

I could never rewrite the stars, though I tried my all with my "internet bae";

Star-crossed, we lovingly warred, only to remain rooted in our home countries to this day.

I was never a playboy, no, they each had their own season,

My love was to be developed, matured, perfected.

Oh how in hindsight, I now understand love's reason.

"Good guys win in the end", but only after they've been effected.

Love is so very beautiful, with all of its ups and downs.

It is why I painfully searched for it so.

But, as with every mark of maturity, you realize that, at some point,

You must learn to let some things go.

With this dramatic realization, my quest for love will now cease.

(Though, should it find me in the future, I know my heart will sing).

In my desire to see good days; I will focus on pursuing peace.

I shall make my soul rejoice in solitude, and the serenity that it brings.