As I was going through some old copybooks of mine, I came across a few poems that Frida Kahlo wrote.

I’ve had them saved there for years, but reading them again felt like a breath of fresh air. Frida, the renowned Mexican painter, was best known for keeping journals that comprised hundreds of poems, drawings, and letters.

Words and art were her means of communication, as she poured onto her paper and canvas what she might not have been able to verbally communicate.

Her pain was too great to be communicated anyway. Those who are familiar with Frida know that her art holds all her sorrow and pain. As for the letters and poems she wrote, she gave us direct access to her emotions, thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams. Unlike paintings that could have different meanings, words are always straight to the point.

Frida’s poem was most probably addressed to her husband, Diego, who was behind the bigger part of her emotional suffering. To be honest, I think I read the poem more than five times; it simply knocked my socks off.

Just like Frida, we all need love, care, support, respect, compromise, and undivided attention. We don’t like to ask for them, but receiving them from the person we love makes all the difference. At the end of the day, we all want to feel worthy and deserving enough to receive what our souls yearn for, without feeling needy or complicated.

Sometimes, small gestures count and have a huge impact on our relationships. Oftentimes, Frida was deprived of them, and in this poem, she accurately describes what everyone out there would like to receive from their lovers.

Here are the words that came out straight from Frida Kahlo’s mouth and that could abundantly inspire us:

I’m not going to ask you to kiss me,

neither ask for forgiveness when I believe that you have done wrong,

or that you have made a mistake.

Nor am I going to ask you to hug me when I need it the most,

or to invite me to dinner on our anniversary.

I’m not going to ask you to go around the world

to live new experiences, much less

ask you to give me your hand when we are in that city.

I’m not going to ask you to tell me how pretty I am,

even if it’s a lie or that you write me anything nice.

Nor will I ask you to call me to tell me

how your day was or tell me you miss me.

I’m not going to ask you to thank me for everything I do for you,

for you to worry about me when my moods are down

and of course I will not ask you to support me in my decisions.

I’m not going to ask you to listen to me when I have a thousand

stories to tell you.

I’m not going to ask you to do anything,

not even to stay by my side forever.

Because if I have to ask you,

I do not want it anymore.

~