More To Life

I saw a contest that asked for poems that weren't about love, and it occured to me that I believe love is part of almost everything... while I was thinking about it, this just sorta-kinda happened.

"There's more to life than love", he announces solidly,

but how can it be true when I am dreaming, curled around you,

draped over you and under you, feeling like I am part of you

and even the cat is kneading her paws in the covers

seeking calm and warmth and that small dip upon your back

where she fits most comfortably? And the day's glow wakens

 

swiftly along the ground, the fires of dawn alighting every river

as surely as every cloud, every drop of dew reflecting every ray,

and every creature from the night scurrying off to bury themselves

anew in daytime haunts, to sleep curled around, upon, over,

each mother, father, infant, child, sibling; every one in an ecstasy

of love. Even the garden of flowers is draped in such a way,

blossoms clinging and coming apart as the gentle breeze shifts them

in their exuberant dance; in a few hours they will close up,

huddle together and dream of the sun on their green limbs,

faces turned up and soaking in all the nutrients offered

by a golden god. A mother hums to herself at the counter,

 

slicing tomato and cheese onto bread and encasing it all,

protection against the unruly tumbling of the day while her

teenage son, still flushed with sleep, makes a cup of coffee.

He holds it out to her, swaps the mug for a lunchbox and scurries

out the door; doesn't stop to hang himself on her in a hug,

or to blow, or throw, or leave even a single kiss behind him,

nor would he shout a declaration, not now he's almost grown,

but who needs that when you remember sticky fingers and

home made trinkets covered in hearts and you're holding

a warm cup of coffee with just the right amount of milk

and sugar? In the park down the street, two children play,

holding hands and singing a tune they wrote together. At home

I am still dreaming you, curled where I can keep you safe,

where the sting of your childhood can no longer infect you.

 

He says, "there's more to life than love," and I do not understand.

Author's Note

As always, all polite/relevant reviews are welcome - including constructive critique, grammar and spelling corrections. Finally, thank you for taking the time to read/leave a review!

Reviews

[R.J. Seoul]

This is absolutely stunning. Not only do you describe the scenes of love, but you use love to describe them. I couldn't agree more with you, love is everywhere. It is the reason we feel bad when a plant dies, or even (with a convoluted definition of the word) when it grows. We love the way it is and then it changes. We would not have hate or dissapointment without love, and we can draw hate and dissapointment out of anything. Truly brilliant.

[Marie Anzalone]

I think the Eastern sages got this one right- you can choose to live a life of fear, or of love, but both cannot coexist at the same moment. Opening oneself to love, in all its forms, indeed brings the awareness that its energy suffuses everything- every detail, every small act, every treasured memory. I have only met a few people in my life who truly walk through their days like this, but it is always very special when it does happen. This poem rains beautiful images on the reader, leaving behind a waterfall of memories that tie into our own experiences. Very well done. I would not change a thing.

[Samuel Price]

awsome story. i feel like im there

[Little Birdie]

Stunning. Exactly how I feel at times.

[Susanna F]

Absolutely beautiful. This is just the subject I was writing about last night, but you have illustrated it so eloquently. I'm glad I stumbled on this - I'll be reading more of your work for sure!

[.......]

This is simply amazing, this one tugs and is so well written.

[Cynthia]

Simply Beautiful. More to Life than Love, thats what people say and been teaching us, but when we're in love, its too much to say there's more to life than love. Love is everywhere, I agree, its like... something it can't be resist, like breathing. Its the emotions and connections between people, and the love, its something the most important. Without love, people is just a body without soul. cause love is something important. Hate doesn't exist, someday we will forgive...
A Very Nice Written!

[Poeticadia]

This is excellent!!! It relates the graceful movement of love through our everyday lives... highly perceptive, and finely tuned to the pace and rhythm of the heart. Perfection. 100/100.