I want a new word for love
It’s been devalued
And demeaned
Because these days
It’s used in reference to
Pretty much everything
Said too quickly
Sometimes right away
Especially if you’re living
In LA, it’s like,
“Oh my god I love you!
How have I not met you
before today?”
We say it about clothes
That we want
Accessories and cars
Our favorite places
Like restaurants
And bars
Towns and cities
And shopping malls
Songs that we hear
Then download or stream
It’s used so often
In advertising that
We don’t think a thing
When JT sings
“I’m lovin’ it”
For an unnamed
Fast food chain
Love isn’t used to sell
Or control
To manipulate other people
To get what we want
There’s no room for love
To lie steal or cheat
It can’t co-exist
With anything
We say it to loved ones
Then gossip and blame
Then say it again
To lessen the shame
Love isn’t a weapon
Or an emotion
To explain how we feel
When we feel overcome
I want a new word for love
One that encompasses
What’s easy to see
When hearts are full
And generous and free
When smiles are wide
And eyes are bright
When nobody’s trying
To prove wrong or right
When courage is strong
Unselfish and clear
When kindness dissolves
Connection to fear
When nobody’s watching
It doesn’t deter
It’s always there
A compassionate stranger
Inviting us in
To merge with its force
It’s bigger and greater
Than we’ll ever know
It gives us a taste
And then patiently waits
For us to return
To the place we can’t name
We search and we seek
We spend our whole lives
Trying to understand
And intellectualize
There’s no higher standard
Nothing else to pursue
It gives us the strength
To do what we do
It emboldens us
With a gentle touch
And there’s always
Always
Always enough
I want a new word for love