WHAT IT MEANS TO LOVE

Some people call it “a passion.”
Others, “a burning desire” name it.
Some say it means to make love;
Others say it means to score.
If it really means to make love
Or only to score,
Then why does it away fly
Just after lovemaking, or scoring?

“You’re the apple of my eye.”
“You are my soothing balm, and morning dew.”
“Without you, cannot cope I.”
“I have with all my heart fallen in love with you.”
“I love your style; dance for me, my Queen.”
“Hold my hand tightly, my precious King.”
“Do not ever leave me: it is on you, I lean.”
“Babe I can hardly wait, to hear you sing.”

All these sayings they say
And suppose they sincerely love.
Yet their supposed love
Is one camouflaged, fatal lust!
They know not that ’tis rather lust
That to utter these, compels them.
They know not,
What it means to love.

To love is to care, and understand.
To love is not to hurt.
It is to help one’s partner to stand.
It is not only, to flirt.
This then means that if one sincerely loves,
He will bear with the helpless partner.
He will cry and laugh with him if he laughs,
And will nurture him, like a gardener.

To love is to be sincere and faithful:
It is not on one’s partner, to cheat.
Some cheat twice and thrice;
Others, four, five, or countless times!
All such lovers are not true:
They all are loveless lovers!
All such lovers are not true:
They know not what it means to love.

To love is to have holistic trust!
’Tis not of one’s own partner to be jealous.
Trust is the relationship’s crux:
It is what makes the relationship glorious.
Baseless jealousy the relationship kills;
And does not make lovers secure.
It only, lovers’ hearts, with hostility fills,
And makes it difficult, to endure.

To love is to protect!
It is not to passive be
To the other’s plights.
It is to concern and affection show
In one’s lover’s times of need.
How can one claim he one thing dearly cherishes
And refuse to preserve
Or protect it with passion?

To love, is to wholeheartedly give;
And after giving, a lover must about it forget.
If he gives and expects to receive,
Then what good out of his service will he get?
If one gives today and tells another morrow,
Then did he give out of real love?
Will he not his lover’s heart fill with sorrow,
And not at all help him to laugh?

To love is to serve!
It is to voluntarily
Put first, the other.
If any lover expects to be served
And he himself serves not,
Then he is not true.
Hear this and understand:
If there is no service, there’s no love!

Now, to love is to be holy:
It is not to one’s lustful pleasures sate!
This means, to be wholly
Patient, and for one’s truest lover, wait.

To love is to put on true godliness:
For love is the whole nature of God;
And since He is a lover of holiness,
Let us accept this in perfect accord.

ISAAC ESSOUN

A lady drawing the love symbol