All I Offer.

Oh, what it must feel like
To be so overcome with emotions,
You promise your love the seas and the skies,
And every other beauty the world has to offer.
The whole world could be at your feet,
And yet, this is all I can do,
No riches, nor any promises,
My humble art is all I offer you.
All of my soul laid bare,
Vulnerable for all eyes that see,
Words of love, of misery, of hope and despair—
Words that could look right through me,
And yet, it’s in the shadows that I hide,
Wondering whether I’ll ever be enough,
I can’t offer my beloved the world,
All I can offer is my heart and my love.
False promises made in the name of love,
Of a garden of stars and shards of the moon,
Of the rarest gems from centuries ago;
I wonder if any word spoken in love is true,
Save for all the warm embraces shared,
The moments shy and batting eyes,
Coy smiles and lingering stares;
They’re all I can offer, they’re all I have.

~© Shubhangi Srinivasan.

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Often, as an artist, you feel more deeply. You have a very different take on love, on life, on the world and just about everything else. One of the things that I feel on a daily basis is how I might not be ‘good enough’, whether it is for myself or for the people in my life. On such days, I keep thinking about how all I have to offer to the world is my art, and nothing more. That is what inspired me to write this particular poem.

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Featured Image by Oliver Pacas on Unsplash