The love you give...

Last night, while chatting with a friend, I could feel the texture of her mood.

It was dark. Rough. Unexciting. Sad.

Inasmuch as I don't like phone calls, I decided to ring her cellphone. Perhaps my voice, which she's come to love, might massage the muscles of her mind until a calm is achieved.


And did it work!

Her first hello was distant.

I understood.

She bared her heart.

She poured out her emotions in my listening ears.

I listened. Attentively.

When she was done whining, I told her what my mama told me.

"You've been here before
You survived it.
This too, shall pass.
Don't worry about a thing.
Everything's gon' be alright"

The conversation drifted from this to that, about this and that.

There were audible sighs and shared worries.

There were light jokes and hearty giggles.

The once moody girl now hearty.

All we had afterwards was a brief jocular conversation.

With much gratitude, she bade goodnight.

I switched off my phone and snored the night away.

Guess whose message popped up when I switched on my phone this morning.

Twas hers. It read thus:

"There is no better dream
than the dream of compassionate heart.
And there's no better dawn
than the one that comes with your thoughts.
Good morning from a grateful heart."

As I read her message, I remembered the first paragraph of this post.

...is the love you receive.