If the perverse impulse happens to slip past the royal defenses, Self-Respect & Common Sense, of your heart, to desire
me simply because you're lonely, then, please fire
those pathetic excuses for guards, and higher,
immediately,
new ones--vigorous guardians who are unrelenting, who take their job way too seriously,
and who thoroughly
screen every Joe-Blow attempting to enter your sacred gates.

I've no desire to play replacement.  I'm only the version of me, not of some past trespasser or incompetent.  So, don't dare love me just 'cause brawny arms have been what you missed at night.

Fight the urge to long for me, solely to have the option of proclaiming to the world "you're good enough"--"complete enough" as an individual human being, because the only way to validate and verify this particular quality of a woman is if, of course, she's clinging to a man,
right?

Fan
"flesh fly" fantasies,
of fairy tale affairs of pearly white weddings under canopies,
away from the fresh ingredients you're using to bake love--love to which their is only one recipe.

Rest, in peace, the ideas that luxurious pagan practices and that the exchange of impious shiny diamond tokens was ever remotely
indicative of the quality
level of a man's financial stability,
in the context of His definition of devotion.

Demotion's definition, to me, is settling for
brutal hands and a venomous mouth,
a soul-sucking lack-of-affection and attention,
a blood-boiling and infuriatingly immature practice of passive-aggression,
a primitively prideful heart,
an STD slanger,
a financially illiterate
dimwit,
or a misogynistic money-chasing maggot,
all...merely...for the hopes...of having
some graven,"sitcom" image of "the hubby, the kids, and the puppy, in the white house with the picket fence," brought to life.

Love me consciously.  Make a conscious choice!  DO NOT because of some social conditioning or 'cause of some instinctual crap.

Love me because I see strong families as the backbone of society--unity.

Love me because I desire to see my global brothers and sister win as much as myself--community.

Long to love me because I invest in my health and not just in pockets--longevity.

Long to love me because I'm too busy thanking God for what I have, rather than fretting about what I don't--levity.

Yearn for me because I strive for knowledge and wisdom--innovator.

Yearn for me because I encourage and support your own God-given talents and dreams--a motivator.

Think I'm attractive for "taking the road less traveled" to start my operation--provider.
Think I'm sexy because I took the time to become the best version of me, so that I'd be prepared and worthy of right gal when I finally met her--
a strider.

I'm more than a handsome smile,
or nice hands,
or cute shoulder dimples,
or sexy arms,
or a bank account
or a nice-sized package.

As a child of The Creator,
I'm a bold black man--a multi-layered,
courageous, unique, driven, wise, creative,
ferocious, gentle, caressing, soulful, soothing, and counseling crusader,
who challenges you to challenge him...to fulfill such qualities...just
to have even the sliver of a chance
to experience your heart.

Sometimes before you can learn to appropriately love others, you must learn to fall in love with yourself.

Divine lady, you can only learn to do that by being alone.

From the Soul,

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Published works: https://amzn.to/3gA4Dh3