Love – Page 2 – One Woman's Quest

Discourse on Love

Gathered up all the love
I’d previously rejected
pulled it to me
like a well-worn cloak
Imagined the comfort
such a vibration would bring
oblivion amounting to bliss

But love –
my interpretation of it –
does not nullify pain
And I writhed in its intensity
pain physically ingrained
burdened by memories

How can this be? I cried
In darkness I turned to love
projected nirvana
uncovered such an ache

Rejection, I surmise
allots protection
Love reveals
source of suffering
depth of denial
neglect of self

I’ve conjured only what-ifs
and could-have-beens
deluded attempts at restoration

Love does not dwell
in fantastical places
but here, in the moment,
when wide-eyed, I embrace
what is, walls down
vulnerability inviting compassion.

(Art mine)

We Are Form Emerging

Creativity partners more with chaos than clarity
It craves colour, light, darkness
movement not supported by 2 dimensions

I delude myself into thinking that words,
cleverly positioned, can decipher the compulsion
fail to understand that soul, unchained, has no words

It is the free-flowing expression of music, dance
It follows the murmuration of birds, and
crawls along the earth, serpent-like

I seek the intimacy of knowing other –
raw and unblemished – but how can this be?
We are form emerging from mystery

That I should find you, Love,
there amid the noise of awakening
then I am more than blessed

Your mind reaches for the definable
while I drowsily bask in sensations
our coming together never akin to wholeness

Yet explosive in its imperfection
Oh, if we could see the artistry
arising from two souls seeking unity

Comprehend that we are the instrument
the vessel through which creativity speaks
a magnificent tribute to Life’s source.

(Art is a combination of my own effort and AI.)

Burrs

How many winter walks
ended with burrs matted
in curly Wheaton hair?

How you wriggled
to escape the grooming;
how we laughed at
jokester antics?

Your spirit still fills
the empty spaces

I hear the jingle
of your collar, catch
a whiff of terrier fluff

Pull on an invisible leash
whenever I encounter burrs.

(For our former, cherished companion, whose memory still lingers. Image mine)

Imitation

Pockets of light
illuminate the shore –
day submitting to dark

I trace the lines
of our passage,
remembering

How winds and tides
shaped us, how carelessly
we wasted time…

Danced around
our solitudes
imitating intimacy

(Once upon a time I wrote poetry for Twitter. This is one. Image my own)

Betrayal (tanka)

Lies from lips linger
when kisses shred sanity
and hot embraces
burn soul-deep, abandonment
reducing hearts to residue.

(Image my own)

Eternal Warrior

Caring hearts
shine bright

Needs, like moths,
flock to light

Cast shadows
threaten to eclipse

But love’s fight
is eternal.

(Linking up to Reena’s Exploration Challenge after a long hiatus. Image my own)

Love’s Waters

Love’s waters rise
defy the impossibility
of our sedentary walls –
tides and emotions
like sculptors
reshaping the contours
of opposition, softening
the places where hearts meet.

(Art my own)

Old Codgers

Idleness fills his hours
as if time knows no limits

I devour moments, afraid
tomorrow will forget me

We see-saw between
treacherous righteousness
and fusty avoidance

Ignoring balance –
the sensible response.

(Written in 2019, I chuckle that little has changed. Image my own)

Wallflower

I accept differences –
understand that internal processes
are subjective, that emotions
colour perception, but..

I seek commonality,
a binding sentiment –
enough connection
to seal the love I crave.

(Tuesdays I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image mine)

Washed Ashore

Was willing to settle
even before casting off –
anchor-less, with no compass
to guide me, nor oar to steer

Left fate to the currents –
a vessel adrift, naïve –
trusted those with power
to rescue me, unaware…

of the target vulnerability
made of me, that sharks
circle wayward boats,
certain of a catch

No wonder, when finally
I came ashore, wrecked,
I had lost faith in love,
turned hope to cynicism

Had failed to register
the dangers of sailing
into uncharted waters,
without a life preserver

Ignorant of the skills
I needed to stay afloat
and safe, in a sea where
discernment saves lives.

(Washed Ashore first appeared here in July of 2018. Edited. Image my own)