Just a Letter to My Love

Love; the most misused and abused and least understood word…

Real love is rare, and a thing of great beauty, though it cannot be seen.
I am reminded of this every time I hear about "chemistry";
About physical attraction and "love at first sight";
And especially when it ends the morning after last night.

Love doesn't care whether you're rich or poor, or if your parents were.
But it requires that one be generous about giving and sharing it.
It can be found in a hovel or lost in a castle, but it cannot be bought.
Love can be easily overlooked even when it's said to be sought.

Love doesn't care about the past, ignores the skeletons in the closet.
Striving for a better future, love animates and rejuvenates those it infects.
It believes one should not be held accountable…forgives all past mistakes;
And instead judges one only on the future decisions one makes.

Love is blind, and you can't make another see it, but still you try…
Never so obvious as the breaking of dawn,
you see it not with your eyes, but with an open mind.
And it can be stealthy, creeping up on you from behind;
Should love find you in this way, it's the most wonderful kind.

Anaesthetic but not esthetic, love is morphine to those in pain;
It overwhelms any discomfort and lights the path in the night.
Yet it can also cause more pain than one can endure; love can expire…
When it gives itself profusely, but is not returned--an unfulfilled desire.

What exactly does love mean to me? It's difficult to define.
Love doesn't mean you're compatible, or have everything in common;
It won't try to change you into something that can be loved even more;
Love appreciates you just the way you are, and everything you stand for.

Love won't die when the outer shell of physical beauty cracks.
It doesn't care what others think or say; it bravely faces all adversity.
It stops at nothing to promote itself, and proves itself time and time again
In details remembered, needs fulfilled,
private thoughts shared…and a good laugh now and then.

Love gazes longingly into your eyes, your beautiful brown eyes…
Hoping to see its reflection.