The Day I Learned About Love

The day I learned about falling,

I was just a normal kid

Who had just learned to ride a bike.

My mother was by my side,

Cleaning my scraped knee.

She wiped the tears from my face

And held me close to her side.

And that’s when I learned that

Falling can hurt.

 

The day I learned about relationships

Was an ordinary day like any other.

I had just finished eating when the question

Popped into my head, and I asked my mom

And she just responded with vague words.

You’ll understand when you’re older,

she had said.

 

The day I learned about love

I was already older.

I held hands with a boy who called me

Beautiful, and made me feel beautiful.

He told me secrets about the world

And for the first time in my life,

I started to believe that I finally understood

What my mom had meant

All those years ago.

 

The day I learned about falling,

I was just a normal teenager

Who had just fallen in love.

My mother was by my side

As I whispered about his broken promises.

She wiped the tears from my face

And held me close to her side.

And that’s when I learned that

Falling can hurt.

 

The day I learned about forgiveness,

I was just a normal teenager

Who had just learned about heartbreak.

I was listening to his voice,

Hearing his side of the story.

But before he could go on, I smiled.

Because I love you,

I had told him,

I am letting you go.

And I walked away,

Because I want him to be happy

Even if it’s not with me.

 

The day I learned about love

Was a day like all the others.

I watched him walk with another girl,

Swinging their interwoven hands

And he made her laugh, and I saw how

She fell, just like I had.

But this time, his eyes shone with something true.

And I smiled, because this was what my mom had meant

All those years ago.