Ruminations on Love, Day 10

I have many loves

From all parts of my life

In all my years of being.

 

Love for God and good

And triumph over evil

In the world.

 

Love for people who

Are here and gone

Either on Earth or simply my life.

 

Love for my family

Who makes me laugh and

Cry and feel everything in between.

 

Love for my daughters

Who work so hard in school

To make honor roll.

 

Love for my husband,

Soul mate, lover,

Giver and maker.

 

Love for my beautiful friends

Who ground me with their love

And stand by me.

 

These loves lift me up

In soul and spirit

And are everlasting.

 

Yet other loves have broken me

Giving me pause to wonder

Why?

 

Why did he give up on me

For the new girl in 8th grade

Never giving me a second thought?

 

Why did he make me fall in

Love with him in college,

When we were 10 years apart?

 

Why did he leave me standing

In the rain at the airport

Taking my heart with him?

 

These loves challenged my

Senses, making me face dark realities

In the light of day.

 

These loves took something

From me but in return

Made me stronger.

 

These loves gave me strength,

Though hard-won,

Made me resilient.

 

I am a better person

For having endured the heartbreak

Because I persevered.

 

And from there I learned that

Loving requires patience

For nurturing understanding.

 

Loving gives as much as it takes,

Without keeping scorecards

Of who did the most loving.

 

It shapes who you are,

How you respond,

What you give back.

 

Loving frees you up to be more selfless,

More giving of yourself,

More inward looking.

 

It polishes the rough edges of your soul

To help heal the wounds

Others left behind.

 

Yet loving is also hard work.

It does not always come easy,

Often times leaving you lonely.

 

In these times it tests your marriage,

Pulling you apart in all directions

Because the spark slowly fizzled when you weren’t looking.

 

It feels like a long frozen winter

That has no end with the wind

Leaving you bare inside and out.

 

Just as in nature, love has its own seasons:

Falling in love is full of bloom

And beauty, filled with rays of joy.

 

The landscape is blue as the sky

With lush greens sprouting new life,

Every moment exhilarating.

 

Sweet Jasmine breezes fill the air

With passionate kisses

That leave you wanting more.

 

Building love lays the foundation

With memories you hold forever

Like the carefree days of  summer.

 

The weekend trips you took

On a moment’s notice

Without caring about the destination.

 

And the concerts and plays and parties

You attended together

Will be reminders of the creation of us.

 

 

Response to 31-Day Poem Challenge

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