The Longing Under the Longing

It’s easy for me to say
“I want people to feel loved.”
To argue for more space
at the table.

It’s easy for me to name the ways that
we you
are not doing this well.

I want to set a table,
to co-create spaces for flourishing
and belonging.

But today I realize how much
I long to be loved.
My desire is a white-hot flame.
and while I suspect this fire
is a holy longing,
a glimpse of what I’m here for,

A part of me is terrified that embodying it
will lead to the
loss of love.

As if the desire to be loved
is a deficit,
something to be ashamed of.

By Kirsten Harrison