Love is Mortal

my rebuttal to the Corinthians verse

Love...

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They say that “love” is an immortal thing,

Enduring, and forever lasting

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I do not see this to be true, that love is instead a mortal thing

Like petals of a stripped flower that lay, cast aside and forgotten

To wither neatly in the afternoon sun

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Love is a finite thing, with a life that must be tended

Sustained as a child should be, cradled and sheltered

So that it may not fade, as does so much ink on tattered pages

Only traces left to remain, as a writer’s thoughts are lost to time

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Love is born, as we all are, and can lead a life of its own

Though most often, whether one admits it, love is neglected

And love suffers as the neglected do, starving, withering away to but a ghost

Until a day comes when it cannot sustain, its life with no hope, without cherish

Like us, love can be born, can live… and can die

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The death of love is a tragic thing, a death within ourselves, a dying piece of us

We grieve its loss and bury it in sorrow, a deeper grave than most

Marking the plot with all one’s memories, a gravestone carved by the past

A monument for only the self’s viewing, to silently suffer in recollection

So when I hear of love’s immortality, that everlasting divinity created in poetry and song

I need only visit my own plot and marker, inscription all but faded and grass grown high

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Love is fleeting, and can lift you higher than you’ve ever been

Love can make you feel like you’ve been born anew

But love is far from infinite, for even we who love will die

Love’s time is limited, demanding and infantile in need

Love can live, and love can die

Love can fade, and can be forgotten

Love is a mortal thing...

 

Reviews

[Kelly Scheppers]

You have some pretty magnificent verses here, Jarrett...each one evokes great depth of character and strong conviction. For someone who has just returned to writing from a long absence, I'd say you've just rejuvenated your senses in the best possible way. Good to meet you and hope the inspiration keeps flowing!

[Ruth]

Love is truly as fragile as anything else, it seems!
This is so beautifully thought out...crafted perfectly love, the wording is sublime, I adore it!
Makes the reader really think you know.....this is art! xx

[Michael X]

this has a soft, entrancing effect in flow, insightfully invented and draws the reader to ponder the infinite scope of love, stately done!