Release

The pain I feel from any loss
Is not defined by that loss
But by my relationship to it.
What it means to me,
What significance I have attached to it.

No matter how hard a person may try
To soften the blow
To protect me
They cannot change that significance
And so
They cannot reduce that pain,
Merely prolong it.

Only I can change my relationship to things.
Only I can change my attachments.
And so
I will feel the pain that I will feel,
However long it takes,
Until I reach a level of completion
Sufficient to the significance
And so
Allow myself to release.

Of course
I can always choose
Simply
To release