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)

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)

Cold Shoulder

Once I counted your love
on daisy petals –
loves me, loves me not

Followed you to Aberdeen
where the grey wafted
like haar off the sea

Everything cold –
cruelty of avarice
absence of compassion.

(Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson. Image my own)

We Are Not Islands

We are not islands:
isolated,
insulated,
to be ignored.

We are hearts engaged
in a relational dance:
intertwining stories,
weaving new tales

Yearning for love’s reciprocity
Delighting in wonder of discovery
Slugging through painful demise
Striving to be better

We build walls,
construct towers,
follow paths leading nowhere –
the pitfalls of our quest

Artificial barriers:
lofty ideals,
dead ends…
and still we push on

Dreaming of hands that hold
and gentle waters – soothing
and warm – passionate kisses:
Love’s rewards

We exist
not for accumulation
but for the gifts that arise
when open hearts dance

(Image my own)