Love makes your soul crawl out of its hiding place.
-- Zora Neale Hurston

When you finally give in to love, to the possibilities of love, to the rain or shine of love, things start to happen. Your skin clears up – perhaps because the endorphins your body releases during the high of love stimulate your immune system which then kills the bacteria that tries to escape through the pores in your face. Your body gets loosened – maybe because you become more conscious of the extra 20 pounds you’ve packed on since your hiatus from love, so you quicken your exercise routine which relaxes your tired bones and better circulates your blood. Your hair does magical things – probably because, since you want to be sure you’re looking good for your honey, you’ve found the extra time and money to get it trimmed or your ends clipped which makes your hair respond much differently than when you used to just pull it back in a ponytail or let a short afro rule your crown. Your voice is sweeter – say your honey’s name; don’t you sound sweet? Even your walk has a unique bounce – you’ve remembered how to twist your hips and enliven your swagger.

When you finally give in to love, the birds, the cicadas, and the crickets sing your tune – every tweet, hum, and rubbing together of the legs work together to accentuate the natural melody and mood you hear and feel in your head and heart. Every song on the radio is your song – from Fantasia’s “When I See U,” Musiq’s “Teachme,” and Ruben’s “Make Ya Feel Beautiful” to Big & Rich’s “Lost in This Moment,” Tim and Faith’s “I Need You,” and Little Big Town’s “A Little More You.” Even Frederic Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 2 in E Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2” and the cyclic clanging of a bell and chanting monks in a Tibetan monastery do it for you when you’re head over heels in love.

Everything smells different, fresher; people look different; keener; and the world turns just right, right enough for you to have all the time in the world for loving your honey.

And all this because love tapped on the door of your soul’s hiding place.

Aren’t you glad you answered?

Sadiqqa © 2007