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i don't know when love became elusive what i know, is that…

“i don't know when love became elusive what i know, is that no one i know has it my fathers arms around my mothers neck fruit too ripe to eat, a door half way open when your name is a just a hand i can never hold everything i have ever believed in, becomes magic. i think of lovers as trees, growing…” quote by Warsan Shire
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““i don't know when love became elusive what i know, is that no one i know has it my fathers arms around my mothers neck fruit too ripe to eat, a door half way open when your name is a just a hand i can never hold everything i have ever believed in, becomes magic. i think of lovers as trees, growing to and from one another searching for the same light, my mothers laughter in a dark room, a photograph greying under my touch, this is all i know how to do, carry loss around until i begin to resemble every bad memory, every terrible fear, every nightmare anyone has ever had. i ask did you ever love me? you say of course, of course so quickly that you sound like someone else i ask are you made of steel? are you made of iron? you cry on the phone, my stomach hurts i let you leave, i need someone who knows how to stay.””

Warsan Shire

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Love feels elusive and intertwined with loss; memories and fears become a tangled landscape where one seeks connection and stability.

In simple terms: Love feels distant, mixed with loss and fear.

Key Takeaway

Seek supportive relationships to navigate love and loss.

Themes

love loss memory fear

Mood

melancholic intense

Type

poetic therapeutic

When to use this quote

  • relationship counseling
  • journaling
  • support groups

Key Concepts

Existential longing psychological fragmentation

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you differentiate love from fear?
  • What steps can you take to heal past trauma?
A Different Perspective

The poem's complexity may overwhelm rather than guide.

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