Only to Strengthen

05 February 2026

https://poems.culturing.net/2026/02/only-to-strengthen/

The ultimate degradation
is the surrender of self-preservation.
When this is lost, one becomes
a victim, at the mercy of others,
and of life itself, an infant again
but without the mother's protection.

Surrendering even volition and all self-love
may seem sublime to one who does not
know better, but such gifts always prove
worthless, and less than worthless,
a genuine burden.

I would love only to strengthen
myself and my beloved.