28.02.2026

Alternative

I once believed love was only one way —
a singular path arcing straight
from heart to heart.

But love taught me to see alternative truths —
that there are many ways to give affection,
many forms of caring that speak without words,
many kinds of devotion that don’t look like the movies.

There is love that waits — quietly, faithfully,
like roots holding an old tree through every storm.
There is love that sings — fiercely, bravely,
like wind over ocean waves.
There is love that shifts — gently, reluctantly,
like sunrise becoming day.

I learned that love doesn’t have just one shape,
not one way of turning,
not one home.
Love is the echo of all the places our hearts have lived —
and all the places they have yet to go.

Love is the alternative to fear, to silence,
to every version of ourselves that once doubted we could belong.

And in this journal, I gather all its forms
— every twist, every beginning,
every strange beauty
that kept me alive.

— Maggie
The Afterlove Voice 💫