موسكا

Unfortunately, It Was Paradise: Selected Poems of Mahmoud Darwish [PDF link]

I do think that love is very often about sacrifice. I mean sacrifice as in choosing, as in effort. I mean choosing as in the allocation of time, and energy, and the making of space and the setting aside of prejudices and the keeping of an open mind. I mean leaving the last half-slice of cake in the fridge; working late into Thursday evening to spend Friday evening together; picking them up at the train station even though they’ve long memorised the route to your flat. Even when it is a sacrifice happily made, a choice readily chosen, it is still the giving up of one life in favour of another. And I think it’s important to recognise that. I could be living a different life but I am choosing to live a life with you. It is a sacrifice. The stakes are that high. And I do it anyway. I do it because it’s you. I do it because I love you.

Sue Zhao