I haven’t written a rhyming poem since I was a child! Sitting on my back lanai watching a painted gecko dipping into my spent teacup on a blissful, sunny Hawaiian winter day, I thought, ‘Why not have some fun?’ And so I offer up this little ditty.
Happy Valentine’s Day, beloveds everywhere!
ODE TO LOVE
Love is gentle, love is kind;
It lifts us up, dear ones enshrined
in magic, bliss; a thousand verbs
have sung its praises
O, hear the words!
I love you, want, I
need you near;
Should something happen –
you disappear – I’d suffer
endless days and nights
in torture, longing
to take flight
away from pain too great to bear.
(Would time refill that empty chair?)
If ever you should chance to meet
a person close as skin; their feet
as precious as a heart-shaped face –
no one could ever take their place –
Just count your lucky stars,
and then? Keep loving women,
loving men and children,
dogs and horses, too – extending
love to something new
until your arms stretch far and wide
o’er hill and vale; ‘cross truth and lies
and finally reach that journey’s end:
beloved self,
beloved friend.
~ BJ
Happy Valentine’s Day Bela. 💐👍
Thanks, sweet Michael. You as well.
The rhymes make the poem sweeter, as it should be for a day of love.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Thanks, Elisa! And a Happy Valentine’s Day to you as well!
Thank you for the love and cheer in your verse and happy Vaentine’s Day to you too, Bela. Strange as it may seem, I had never heard or known of this Day till I was well into my adulthood. Oh, The opportunities missed…..:)
What should this day truly signify for us, Bela? If it is merely reaffirmation of one’s love, then it smacks of a life on auto-pilot, needing specific triggers to bring awareness. That cannot be a good way forward.
Shakti
Aloha, Shakti!
I wrote this little poem to point out that loving the self is ultimately the most important thing. In my mind, all real love stems from there and that. If we are tortured, look within. If we are humble, grateful, in love with life, itself – look within. I don’t think we need ‘a day’ to celebrate this – if we were able to instantly love ourselves in a day, whoah – that would be a miracle! But it never hurts to be reminded, I guess – and it ferrets out feelings which, for some, can be sweet and for others, bittersweet – which, I suspect, is due to expectations which always set one up for disappointment.
But to celebrate love? It’s great to be able to do this every day, in every way. That is truly what I, myself strive for.
Cheers, and Happy Valentine’s Day!