It seems like we almost all are curious about the topic. Love is one of those few nouns that expresses something intangible. In the case of romantic love it is something we feel with our significant other, but, still, it is intangible. It has no color, no flavor, and no texture, unlike a home or lawn mower. The ancient love poets and philosophers and even current literary giants have taken a stab at describing what this mysterious noun means, and though many come close, still, until one has been in it, that is love, more than just the words are only words that are interpretations written by masterful writers. Some of them may or may not have experienced love, though we so much enjoy their poetry and muse.

One of Dr. Seuss’ most famous quotes is about love. He said, “When you are in Love you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.”

The great Sufi master and poet Rumi gave a caveat to others who were or are in observation of the lovers; Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy, absent-minded. Someone sober will worry about events going badly. Let the lover be. Obviously it was meant as a warning that this thing called love can be quite intoxicating and the person or persons in love should be left to their devices. In a way, Rumi is giving a fair warning to others. That those not in love should not show envy or try to interfere with the Lovers. (Rumi: The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing)

In many of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quotes, he talks about love and those trying to interfere with it or drive wedges out of envy or hate. He is saying that nature (which he often capitalized with an N or in quotes (Nature) is at one with God as are we (humans). So interference is based on ego, and, ego has never won over nature, because nature has God behind it. He doesn’t come out and say this, he leaves it to the discretion of his readers, but it becomes a very clear thread in the theme of his famous quotes. It is almost a Love conquers all theme in that, how can it not? Love is simply a part of nature as is everything and everyone else; and only ego can try to interfere with it, and ego always loses in the end (if it is up against nature).

Ralph Waldo Emerson who was keenly aware of love and the human connection with nature and this is reflected in one of his more famous quotes. Everything in nature contains all the power of nature. Everything is made of one hidden stuff. Even given Emerson’s brilliant observance of human behavior and fascinating theories of how the universe works, he had a childlike fascination with nature and it reflects in all his quotes regarding it. The theme of Emerson’s famous nature quotes is that we, as human beings, are not separate from nature, and to develop a faith, one must first develop a love and/or devotion to (outer nature) such as trees, flowers, animals, etc. Nature imparts a very telling secret; we are a part of it.

Even Voltaire echoed Emerson’s sentiments about love with Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination. Notice Voltaire, also capitalizes the N in Nature; as he considered it, like Emerson, one of God’s greatest creation, if not the greatest, since it included the love of humans towards other humans.

This month I turned fifty-five. Though I was taught many of these famous love quotations in my early days of college, they really meant nothing to me, as, I didn’t think they pertained to me. I was still finding myself, as were many of my peers, and in that self-absorption of finding oneself, there is not a lot of room for real love; but, plenty of room for ego. That is what I had and projected. Arrogance is just a small blip on the r screen that can be noisy, by talking the talk, but not walking the walk which clearly becomes evident.

In my lifetime, I have been blessed to experience the give and take of real love with my finance Lee Hiller, who, like me, walked many similar paths in her early life in search of self and a love relationship. Ironically, we were both ready for real love at the same time; and we are both very grateful.

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Come to me tonight my love,
Don’t let me be alone,
I shall give to you a love
this world has never known.

I’ve been waiting for a lifetime
for this moment to arrive,
In you I’ve found my paradise,
And I thank God that I’m alive.

You shall never have to worry,
Nor shall you ever be alone,
For the love I hold for you in me
is solid as a stone.

It cannot be trampled on,
Nor can it ever be torn apart,
For it is locked away in safety
in the very bottom of my heart.

And as life is still unfolding,
we have much yet to foresee
But right now the only thing I need
is you, the night and me.

A Lesson I Have Learned

Why doesn’t he like me?
Why doesn’t he care?
Is it something I said,
or something I did with my hair?

Why doesn’t he adore me?
I tried my very best!
The more I tried, the more I cried,
and he liked me even LESS!

He ended up liking my best friends,
I couldn’t believe it was true!
Wouldn’t YOUR heart be deep in denial,
if the SAME thing happened to YOU?

I have learned my lesson,
let your crush come to YOU!
If I remembered that when I first saw him (OH, when I first SAW him!!!),
Then I would know what to do.
And he would like me, too.

The One Who Loves Me

I tear our love open,
I scour what’s left.
And the cleft that’s there,
helps me to get a grip.

And the stars remind me,
what could’ve been there.
But you left me alone,
you left me standing there.

Now I’m ,drowning in the water,
trying to breath with no air.
And you pass me by the shoreline,
just walking, with NO CARE!

But that’s okay, I’ve moved on now,
I got a boy who loves me back.
But you’re chasing after the same girl,
the one you liked BEFORE we met!

Don’t try to ask me out later on,
I won’t answer your calls.
Just like how you left me,
I won’t talk to you at ALL.

I’ll start over fresh now,
all the healing’s done for me.
‘Cause I got a boy now,
one who loves me.

Protection

I want to feel his arms wrap around me,
I want to feel protected, with his body as a shield.

I want to feel his warmth,
the heat radiating off his body.

And I want to feel his touch, then I’ll know
that he’s there, he’s with me, and
we’re together, hand-in-hand, and side-by-side.

Dead, Cold, and Broken (The Break-up)

I never thought it would come to this,
but I knew he was someone I’d have to miss,
and now, our love is OVER.

I always loved his laugh and smile,
just being with him made it all worthwhile.
Now he might as well be dead, cold, and buried.

He’s not dead yet, but it feels that way.
I miss his chest, where I used to lay.
Even though it was HIS chest, MY heart is cold and broken.