Monday, August 18, 2008

The Poetry of Love

Love is a difficult subject to present in a fair light. Our modern-day cliches and Hollywood exaggerations make it hard to truly see love for what it is and can be. It teaches us a lot about ourselves and about life. I've heard it compared to a mirror - a way of seeing yourself through the eyes of others. And in many ways that's exactly right.

I've learned my fair amount of lessons, moving in and out of relationships. I've learned to appreciate the flurry of new love and to press forward when it fades. I've learned to give everything I have for the sake of a companion and how, when I have nothing left, to live within the artful postures of love - instead of love itself. I taught myself to appreciate the little things, to create my own happiness. Most importantly though, I learned to take care of myself and to retain a sense of self within a relationship. And for some strange reason it was only when I figured all of this out that I was truly ready for the person I needed to come into my life. And then he did.

It seems unfair, when I have been so lucky in so many other ways, that I should be graced with the presence of such an amazing person. I certainly don't deserve it. In a surreal, movie-like sort of way, he strolled into my life, asked me to dance, and, remarkably enough, hasn't taken his eyes off of me since. The clarity and the reassurance that his presence holds is something I've come to depend on and in many ways it's allowed me to return to that centered, balanced sort of state I've been missing for many years. It's one of the many things that, for me, mark him as a lasting presence in my life. I could sigh over how handsome he is, the way he opens every door for me, refuses to let me pay for even a cup of coffee, and surprises me with presents for the smallest of reasons, but the truth of the matter is that I love him for the purest of reasons I've come to find. That being - that he simply loves me, without question or unsurety, without demand for performance or change. He loves me - just me and just as I am.

The true poetry of love and romance lies in its simplicity and its consistency. Love begins and ends within the same designs and its the dedication of those in love that keep such a cycle in its delicate balance. It's the compromising and the combination of honesty and trust that allow an unfolding of one of life's most precious gifts. If love remains patient, remains kind, we might find that instead of being left empty when pouring our time and efforts into a relationship, we are filled to the brim with the rewards of our labors. We might find ourselves rekindled, renewed, and above all if we allow ourselves to discover the very truth and nature by which life and love exist we might also find someone with which to share it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love love.

I haven't been in love with another person yet but man I just love hearing about love in general.

It's such a sweet thing.

Anonymous said...

...dangit you almost made me cry, you are so lucky to have what you have right now, i'm glad for you. I've never heard such a beautiful piece about the truest being love by such a young writer.
Audz
(Audrey Carlston)

Larissa said...

oh how beautiful. You couldnt have said it better...reminds me of what I miss...