Day 19 - Touched by an Angel

Touched by an Angel

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

-Maya Angelou

It has been ages since I have been able to spend time with Maya Angelou's writing, and so I took a moment to look up some of her poetry today.  When I came upon this poem, I was pleasantly surprised as it's one that I hadn't previously seen.  To me, this poem spoke volumes about love.  Many of us live in worlds of emotional isolation because of fear of being hurt. Even when surrounded by friends and family and able to communicate with people across the globe and at the speed of light, we can still find ourselves feeling very alone.  Because the Divine would prefer that we do not feel this way, "love leaves its high holy temple / and comes into our sight / to liberate us into life."  Love is the most liberating force on earth, especially when it is inspired and brought by the Divine.  It has the ability to awaken things in us, and set us free from the things that have bound us to be able to live in more whole ways.

I especially love the last stanza, because it speaks to my journey.  Love has been weaning me away from fear, and I have seen the costs and the benefits of genuine love.  Now I wouldn't live without it.

Thank you, Maya Angelou...  And thank God for the angels in my life who have been agents of healing and channels of love for me.