but i love you

I dread going to school every single day.

I hate it,

I hate being trapped there.

But I love being greeted by my best friend

who could make hell

feel as freezing as

these February Maryland mornings.

I love my best friend so much.

And I love the car rides to school

with my mom.

Her presence alone makes me

forget we're driving to misery,

her voice echoing during

our car conversations.

I love my mom so much.

I hate waking up early on the weekends,

my frivolous late night decisions

drowning my mind in regret,

forcing my eyes down into

the blackness of my pillow.

But I love the sound of my cats'

meows instead of an alarm clock,

the pressure of soft,

furry paws across my bed

and my chest to say "good morning".

Nuzzles across my hands

and my face.

I love my cats so much.

I hate that I live so far from my family.

Tired from long drives,

long weekends up to New York.

But the second I open

the door to whatever cousin's house

we're at this time,

it seems to feel like

I've lived in New York

all along.

The welcoming warm embraces

of my cousins,

the squeal she makes when

her arms wrap around me,

worth a million times

more than the four-hour drives.

I love my family so much.

There are so many people,

so many things,

whose love makes

the worst times

bearable.

So happy Valentine's Day to

my best friend,

my mom,

my cats,

my family,

my cousins.

The silver linings

of times that

would be so much worse

without them.