Touched By An Angel – Maya Angelou

We, unaccustomed to courage, exiles from delight,
live coiled in shells of loneliness  until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight, to liberate us into life.

Love arrives and in its train come ecstasies -
old memories of pleasure, ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold, love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light we dare be brave
And suddenly we see that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love which sets us free.