By Anokina Shahbaz

I want to see myself
Through your eyes
Even for a moment
To love my imperfections
And flaws
The way you do
To see past all my sins
Past all my muddled attempts
At self-mastery
Into the deeper parts of my being
That still are coated
In the holy fragrance
You imbued them with
When you created me
In my mother’s womb.

I want to speak to myself
The way you do
With expressions of unconditional love
And whispers of acceptance
That gently draw me back
To a place I can rest my weary heart
And my burdened mind
I want to utter your holy phrases
That speak life into all
The barren parts in me
I have abandoned
And stopped tending to
So they can once again
Bear fruit.

Let me hold the world
In my arms
The way you do
Gently, gracefully
Without judgment or condemnation
Drenching it in tenderness
Finding the divine in every soul
Seeing the sacred in every encounter.

Above all
Teach me to love
The way you do
Unconditional, without restriction
Abandoning all my selfish ways
Shedding all my indifference
Opening my heart ever wider
To make room for the brokenness
And to usher in heaven
On this fallen and tired earth.

Meet the Author

Anokina is a 30-something year old living in the outskirts of Chicago with her husband and 10-year-old rescue dog, Albert. An imperfect Christian, learning how to be a branch abiding in Him, that she may bear much fruit. She believes in soul mates, in miracles, and in the undeniable power of kindness to transform our world. A contemplative writer, poet, and aspiring author, looking to use words to dissect the human condition and fathom all the pain we carry, and ultimately, to lighten it — even just a little.

You can find Anokina at:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anokinashahbaz/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/AnokinaS

Blog/Website - https://www.anokinawrites.com/