My mother taught me that love,
Love is,
Based on how pretty you are,
Or aren't.
My mother taught me that love,
Love is,
Conditional and impermanent,
Leaving him.
My mother taught me that love,
Love is,
Working yourself to the bone,
Providing for our family at any cost.
My mother taught me that love,
Love is,
Harsh words and criticism,
She called it "being realistic".
My mother taught me that love,
Love is,
Male attention,
Male affection without teaching me the consequences.
My mother taught me that love,
Love is,
Furious,
Ferocious, jealous even but always protective.
My mother taught me that love,
Love is,
Projecting your anger onto others,
Shouting, screaming and blaming.
My mother taught me that love,
Love is,
Loyalty,
Nothing in this world comes for free.
My father taught me that love,
Love is,
Leather on skin,
Corporal punishment it was back then.
My father taught me that love,
Love is,
Humiliation,
Hosed down like an animal.
My father taught me that love,
Love is,
Not freely given,
It's earned or nothing.
My father taught me that love,
Love is,
Exclusion,
Punishment and rejection.
My father taught me that love,
Love is,
Cruel and cowardly,
Never taking any responsibility.
My father taught me that love,
Love is,
Anger and aggression,
Attack and retaliate.
My parents taught me that love,
Love is,
A life long lesson,
They were just the introductory chapter, the beginning.
My first love taught me that love is,
Love is,
Based on the condition of "putting out",
I didn't want to so he got it somewhere else.
My first lover taught me that love,
Love is,
Letting someone else lead,
Love is giving-in without full control or understanding.
My next lover taught me that love,
Love is,
Fighting for what you want,
With him always wanting someone else.
My next few lovers taught me that love,
Love is,
Letting them do what ever they want to me,
Humiliating and degrading and disrespecting me.
My life-changing lover taught me that love,
Love is,
Kindness, Patience and Empathy,
Love could be gentle and not at all critical or conditional.
My life-changing lover taught me that love,
Love is,
Finding myself,
Loving myself so I could start loving whole-heartedly.
My life-changing lover taught me that love,
Love is,
Respect,
To never blame or project.
My life-changing lover taught me that love,
Love is,
Always changing, always evolving,
Truly ever-lasting.
My rapist taught me that love,
Love is,
Easily mistaken,
For abuse and anger and cruel criticisms, referencing my introductory lessons.
My younger lover taught me that love,
Love is,
Possible without pain,
That I could be physically intimate again without fear or shame.
My narcissistic lover taught me that love,
Love is,
Finally deciding to walk away,
Leaving someone barefoot in the jungle so you can learn to love yourself again before it's too late.
My abused lover taught me that love,
Love is,
Abusive, angry and humiliatingly cruel,
Repeat introduction and chapter one and chapter two, this is a great study case for you.
