Love is Love

Photo: TMZ.com/ Photo shows the impact of domestic violence on singer, Rihanna

Love is a juice with many tastes.

Some bitter, some sweet. A wine which has few, very few vineyards!

Love is unbreakable!

Love is unchangeable!

Love is Love!

When he says “Give me your hand”

and you think you’re in love,

 you’ll do it.

He said “give me your hand”

That doesn’t mean jump right into it.

You two claim to be in love

And it’s everything it shouldn’t be.

Its violent, he’s insane.

It’s all around wrong

Honey,

That ain’t love!

Is it true that the ribs can tell the kick of a lover’s fist?

The bruised bones record it well.

The sudden shock; the hard impact.

The swollen lids, sorry eyes spoke not of lost romance but hurt.

Hate is often confused; its limits are in zones beyond itself.

And sadists will not learn that love by nature extracts a pain unequal on the rack.

We shouldn’t go through this “love” we young girls talk about: but “real love”

From the one most high.

Photo: AwardsOff-Season.wordpress.com/ Angela Bassett portraying a battered Tina Turner in the movie, "What's Love Got to do with It?"

Let his love reign.

He wants your hand.

He says “Give me your hand,

Make room for me to lead so that you can follow me beyond this poem.

Let others have privacy of touching words,

And loss of love.

For me “give me your hand.”

We don’t want to jump and think we are in love.

What is it with love that makes me and breaks me?

Why do I love so?

When in love do I truly love or is it a game I try to be a part of?

I spent my whole life chasing,

In the end the one thing I truly love is the pursuit of love.

Love is just.

It won’t be broken or tamed!

Love is Love.

Written by Breanna Johnson

A Reflection of Me

In all 17 years of my life, I have done many things that I am proud of. One thing I am most proud of is gaining confidence in myself and accepting myself for who I am. This has made me proud, because at one point in time, I hated my size because I felt like it was unattractive. Something I am also proud of myself for is learning that I can not always have my way in relationships. In my latest relationship, that had been very beneficial on my behalf. This accomplishment has taught me the importance of compromise.

However, while I have many things I am proud of, there is still room for improvement. One thing that I need to work on is my fear of trust in relationships. I have a hard time trusting people due to my fear that they will leave me hurt. If I work on this, it will help me with a lot of my relationships in my life.

by Monique Brevard

Confidence is Key!

One thing I need to work on personally is trust and confidence. Just recently, I began to lose confidence and trust in certain people. It seems like now and days a lot of people are becoming shady. Sometimes I question myself and wonder why I continue to put time and effort into people who can’t be real with me. I always keep it real with others and I expect the same in return. It’s like with me, if you were close to me and all of a sudden we stop being friends for a certain reason, I will feel like you rubbed me the wrong way.

A lot of times people can just be changing up just for attention. If you tell me that you are going to do something, than I expect you to do it. If you let me down, then I will lose my trust in you and I can’t count on you. Recently, I lost trust in a friend because every time they said they would do something, they would let me down. As far as confidence, I am very confident in myself.

Sometimes I lose confidence in certain things that I feel that I am not confident in doing. I always look for comfort and support, but I always try my best. My confidence in people is also very low, but I continue to pray for my choice of friends and that everything will be alright.

by Mary Dillard

My Greatest Fear

My Greatest fear is losing my boyfriend. At this point in my life, I have found the boy that I have fallen in love with and holds the key to my heart. This is my first love and I know that I am too deep, so if something were to go wrong in our relationship, it would be very hard for me to get over. This fear sometimes gets in the way of my thinking, because it sometimes stops me from expressing the way I feel. Currently I am trying to lose this fear because I know that our love and bond is too strong, and we will always be together no matter what anyone thinks.

My boyfriend treats me well and spoils me by giving me anything I ask for, and he makes sure that I have everything I need. He is nice and caring and my mommy likes him. People will never understand most of the things we go through. This fear that I have will no longer be with me once I finish this article because I have faith, and I believe that I have the power to overcome any fear that I once had.

by Charminika Kirkpatrick

Unwanted Death – a photo essay on fear of losing a loved one

by Jameela

Love and Happiness

When the word relationship comes to mind, I think of love, kindness, and trust. However, when I look inside the dictionary: relationship is defined as a state of connectedness between people – most of the time, an emotional connection. The dictionary doesn’t speak to a relationship being defined as good or bad, proving that some relationships are healthy and just as many can be unhealthy. Some are filled with happiness, others with dread and hurt.

I personally love relationships more so when they are healthy. When you can bond with another being, it’s the best, whether that’s as a couple, with family or friends.  I have a wonderful relationship with my grandmother. I tell her everything and she listens. She gives me advice and guidance. Not all relationships consist of lovers, some of the best are with a certain someone you have a connection with – for me that’s a family member: my grandmother.

by Tiara Rowe

Let Me Tell You ‘Bout My Best friend- a photo essay on friendships

by Danielle and Shannon

What’s Love Got to do with it?

When thinking about a relationship, I define it as any type of close interaction between two or more people. However, dictionary.com defines a relationship as “an emotional connections between people.” While slightly different, I think both have similarities in their meanings.

The type of relationship that has had the greatest impact on my life right now is the one between my boyfriend and I. It has done so for a number of reasons, but the biggest is that our relationship has opened my eyes into the world of love. Sure, in my other relationships with family members, friends, etc, I love them – but with this one, I get the excellent feeling of being “in love” with someone. I think that’s something totally different.

Love in relationships takes things to another level, because it sometimes feels like you are taking a risk. And it is risky because you sometimes get to meet a side of yourself that you never knew existed. For example, love will turn the person who seems to be heartless into a very sentimental one. If one goes throughout life without experiencing this type of relationship, they are missing out on something truly special. I am glad that I can say that will not be me.

by Monique Brevard

Dear Mama – a perspective on relationships

Through my 18 years of life on this earth, I have had my share of relationships. Being in a relationship can be categorized as “couples” or “family,” but I would say that my relationship with my family members has been a struggle for me more than any others. My mother and I have had our share of troubles. I used to pull further away from her, especially as I got older. I was always distant from my mother, as I was the only girl. I felt as if my brothers got more attention. I would never tell my mother anything, even if she asked.

Two years ago, however, all of that negativity changed. My mother told me that she had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2008. It touched my heart as my mother was in tears as she told me. From that point on, I began to get closer to my mother as I knew death was only step away. Treating my mother better and knowing that what I did was wrong, it made me realize that I was enforcing an unhealthy relationship. I valued life more because I realized I took my mother for granted. I only have one mother, so I have to give her the utmost respect.

by Mary Dillard

Love is in the Air – photo essay on relationships

by Darnell and Donte’