Devotion is not a choice but

its own reckoning.

We don’t choose when our

heartbeat quickens

and our

blood thickens,

our trajectory altered by the

path of somebody

else.

To love is to lose;

such is the

risk

of shackling one’s happiness

to another.

But to know the weight of

his lips

and be the reason

she smiles

is infinitely better than

a life led by one’s

self.

Tia, perplexed

The art and poetry in this post was produced by Connor Amor-Bendall. Connor is a New Zealand-born journalist and artist who is based in Melbourne. She has a keen interest in politics, poetry and pastries.