NOTICE TO ALL OBSERVERS
Guidelines for the Practice of Love
Please be advised:
Love is scheduled to come without warning.
It may come in forms you do not recognize,
and at times you least expect.
Do not attempt to resist its presence.
*
Reports indicate an increase in vulnerability.
Those affected should comply with the following instructions:
Notice each gesture, however small.
Acknowledge each word fully,
even when it trembles or fails to come cleanly.
Allow yourself to be carried by unexpected attention,
and give it in return without hesitation.
*
All persons are reminded:
Love is not governed by precedent.
It may disregard hierarchy, tradition, or expectation.
It has authority over the proud and the cautious alike,
yet permits no formal complaint.
*
Observers are instructed to recognize moments of connection:
A glance held too long,
a message that lingers longer than intended,
hands brushed together,
confessions spoken in the dark or in plain sight.
These must be recorded mentally,
and applied wherever opportunity allows.
*
Failure to comply with these instructions
may result in a surplus of regret,
or the sudden coming of longing.
Such outcomes are unavoidable and non-negotiable.
*
You are reminded that love requires participation.
Do not postpone its gestures.
Do not withhold its acknowledgment.
Each act, however slight, compounds its effect.
Each refusal diminishes the day,
each embrace enlarges it.
*
Official channels report:
Love is patient yet insistent.
It comes in crowded rooms or silent hallways,
in laughter, in apology, in tears,
and in the spaces where no one is looking.
It cannot be rationed, cataloged, or scheduled.
*
Finally, please be aware:
Time spent observing or enacting love
is never wasted.
Your attention is mandatory.
Do not ignore its small insistences.
Do not attempt to formalize its rules.
Your compliance will be rewarded,
but only through the act itself.
*
This concludes the announcement.
Please follow instructions carefully.
Love, in all its forms,
remains fully within your jurisdiction.
About the Creator
Tim Carmichael
Tim is an Appalachian poet and cookbook author. He writes about rural life, family, and the places he grew up around. His poetry and essays have appeared in Beautiful and Brutal Things, his latest book.



Comments (2)
Beautifully written. I love how you've captured love as something active, not passive.
Brilliant & Fabulous! Go Tim! ☺️💪🏾