True Love, If It Exists Poem by Sharon Namwalizi

Growing up, I thought love would be so loud,
I would find it even in a crowd.
I hoped it would make my heart spike,
Flatter me in ways I didn't know existed.
I thought it would be all smiles, no frowns,
And all our fights and differences would be a lie—
Things not to take seriously.
And I would be sure.
Always

But…

I'm not sure every day.
I wake up some days and don't want to see or talk to love.
The next day, I chase love like I didn't miss it the previous day.
Love held my hand, but this time, I didn't feel warm.
Love hugged me, but I felt violated.

Love whispered sweet things, but they sounded foreign.
I searched its eyes for the spark I once swore I'd find,
But all I saw was a stranger wearing a familiar face.
Was love ever what I thought it was?
Or did I build it from dreams and call it real?

Love knocked, and I let it in,
But some days, I wish I hadn't.
Because love isn't always loud—
Sometimes, it's a quiet ache, a weight, a question.
And I wonder—if true love exists,
Why does it sometimes feel like a myth I outgrew?

~sharonnamzi
22: 52-10/03/25