Unconditional

He loves me,
he loves me not.
He loves me,
he loves me ...

How many poor little flowers have we distressed in our lives?

Petal after petal we peeled away, eager to reach the final one
as if it carried the answer to our burning question,
That if our object of our attention, paid any attention back at us.

Silly little games we used to play.

Unknowingly,
we still play those silly games today.

Seeking outward for approval.
Seeking outward for love.
Seeking outward for joy.

Why incessantly shine a spotlight on what others think and feel about us?
Happiness is not conditional to outcomes.
Outcomes are irrelevant to our joy within.

In fact, it's not up to the last petal,
it's not up to our object of attention,
and it's not up to what's out there
to tell us how we should feel.

He loves me...
He loves me not.
He loves me...
it matters not.

-Rissa Calica, 2019