By Josephine Ansumana, Maryland, USA.
I
What is love, and what is its true nature
How do we define love, or bear it witness
How do we measure the essence of love
How do we measure its weight in gold
And what price do we set on the value of love
Is love measured by the size of the gem in the ring
Do we measure love by the size of the mansion,
The family heirloom or the cost of the wedding party
Is the family name the greatest value of love
Or is love just a simple exchange of words?
II
Love is a simple four letter word,
That compasses both the high and the low
The best and the worst in human history
Simple, complex, refined and profane
Immeasurable, unquantifiable, unfathomable
Indescribable, priceless or so we think.
But love is also negotiable, predatory, and manipulative
It is eloquent, dexterous, passionate and bestial
It is predictable and edifies the invisible.
A loving heart is as light as feather, and flies like the wind,
A loveless heart is as heavy as lead and weighs a ton.
III
“Love cannot be bought or sold,” so they say.
“So never marry for money,” the warning goes.
“But make sure you marry into money,
Because bills have to be paid”—a caveat disclaimer
Is true love practical, and realistic?
Is it blind, taciturn, turgid or starry eyed?
Does true love search for a soul mate or a bankroll
Does love need to be explained, replayed and rehearsed
Does it electrify, illuminate and modify
Does love speak a singular universal language?
IV
What then does love demand in return?
Does love require affection for love sake?
Or a pound of gold for a pound of love
How does love measure its own level of worth?
What binds and ties love as a prisoner for evermore?
Is love forever tied to the heartstring or the dollar-note
How do we weigh love on the scales of the heart?
How does the heart perceive love through its own eyes?
What drives love to fly out the window?
There is no single yardstick to measure love
Because after all, Love is a batter system.
© 2008 Josephine M. Ansumana. All rights reserved.
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