Broken Open

As life embarked on its path, the darkness stealthily pursued his prey. Like a captive beast taunted and tempted with a massive piece of meat, he craved to satisfy his hunger. He laid restlessly, eager to unleash his vicious wrath.

Scheming and conniving, from near and from faraway, the darkness diligently studied life's moves, waiting for the perfect moment to strike his prey.

Woe unto life, for the darkness had stumbled upon life's weakness: love.

Life longed for and lusted after the embodiment of love - kindness, gentleness, sacrifice, unconditional acceptance, goodwill - and all that love was. Life itself was a reflection of love's spirit, or so it thought. Or was this belief merely a narcissistic perception?

Masquerading as love's personification in the name of family, friends, peers, educators and intimate relationships, the darkness seduced life. Foolishly, life fell into the darkness's trap, eager to quench the unbearable thirst.

Each time life was lured into the darkness's arms, a piece of its soul was broken. No, shattered. Each time and like a child, life got up, shutting its eyes to the bleeding wounds, and running back into the darkness's slightest attempts at seduction.

The darkness was cruel. It was like giving candy to a child, and just as she reaches out excitedly to grab it, she is forbidden to have it. The mind of a child cannot perceive why one cannot have what is right in front of oneself...why...

From behind the mask of love's face, the darkness spat at life and hurled words of destruction, slowly bringing life to its demise. For a minute, life believed it was unworthy of itself. For a minute, it believed its iniquity, infamy and insignificance. Life was beaten to its knees, unable to gather itself to move further. Life was broken beyond repair...broken open.

As life took its steps toward the light of what it thought was the end, it realized it was the Light of a new beginning. The Light's comforting arms reassured life that everything it believed was all the darkness's lies, that life was worth much more and beyond.

At the moment of life's encounter with Light, it realized its truth and embraced it, like a child embracing the mother at her return from work. Life embraced the knowledge that like a caterpillar, its life was not coming to an end. It was merely transforming into something more beautiful. It embraced the fact that like a phoenix, it was burned, but from the ashes, it rose.

With that, life confidently walked away from the ashes of its past, reborn and ready to spread its magnificent wings and soar the skies.