Love in Different Eyes
Val enjoys writing prose in rhymes by always leaving a message of a life truism in each piece.
Introduction
Love has been everything from glorified, cherished, poetized, and sung -- all the way to being fake, abused, unanswered, and misunderstood. It's been a divine force making the world turn, and a force behind wars, as history could attest to it, making many a philosopher wonder if it's a blessing or a curse to man.
But one thing's for sure -- it's here to stay, whether it makes us sing or suffer. And everybody seems to have something to say about it, after hardly anything new is there left to be said. We keep writing poems and composing music, and preaching, like we need a refreshment course in understanding what love is.
Well, looking at the world affairs that might even be true. So we keep advertising divine love, erotic love, parental love, animals' love...love...love...love -- and yet, it seems like the erotic version and perversion of it is the one that has kept its paramount popularity.
Probably because it's so tied to procreation, which we find so much more pleasurable than the one we hear about in our churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques.
Divine love certainly sucks while we keep blowing each other up, spreading hate, and otherwise proving that our Maker never really made us "in his own image", unless he wanted to portray himself as one hell of an unstable lover.
Anyway, aside from that love referring to gods, angels, and other benevolent entities of celestial real-estate, here we are stuck with our earthly version of it -- and as long as everyone else has something to say about it, we, part-time satirists, won't be left out.
So, here I go with these three imitations of poetry depicting just a couple among all possible aspects of love.

Love We Cherish -- As Much and For As Long As Our Imperfect Hearts May Allow It.
Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay
Love Once Boiling, Now Simmering Down
Once upon a time love to last for good
now another item in photo album archive
tooth of time has done what only time could
it's love surviving on memories though still alive.
What happened to all those dreams and vows
and that new meaning of life thrown on our lap
when a glance was good for desire to arouse
now buried under stress and emotional crap.
It's like we can't separate matters of heart
from all annoying details of our life routine
as if suddenly we are unable to tell apart
those we love from those not gladly seen.
So when some individuals make us too pissed
our wrath is something that everyone deserves
somehow our loved ones appearing on that list
with all their imperfection getting on our nerves.
Anniversaries feel awkward, acting almost phony
as if we miss a crash course in protocol of caring
somehow feeling too savvy for "romantic baloney"
but with conscience whispering it needs repairing.
Maybe that photo album deserves another glance
as that promise "forever" is still a long way to go
our heart is never too old for revived romance
with nothing for it to learn that it didn't know.
Price of Love
Whenever we hear of "love for sale"
everyone thinks of the "first profession"
men, especially, picturing its every detail
well, kind of thoughts for Sunday confession.
But, sorry guys, it's not what I had in mind
rather that old truth that every love may cost
to some it's jealousy, or heartache of other kind
while to others it's much more than mind they lost.
If you ever fall in love, just be ready to pay
in one or another currency it's left to be seen
whether you call yourself straight or you are gay
love may cost you just little, or it may rob you clean.
No, I'm not really being sarcastic
not even talking here about money
and it doesn't have to be all that drastic
but, you pay for calling someone "honey".
If your freedom means a lot to you
forget about love, go see a love movie
take some cold showers, pay visit to a guru
but keep your freedom to keep feeling "groovy".
Only one day when love for sale sounds good
and she is so wanted that you just don't care
who knows, maybe thanks to that very mood
the cost will turn out something you'll share.
"Identity trap" is the name in psychology for a mistake in relationship where we always expect others to live up to our expectations, or we feel obligated to always live up to theirs, while sacrificing freedom to be who we are. It talks about a possessive or a submissive attitude in loving (also friendship) relationship.
So, the next piece of rhymed prose depicts how to avoid that trap.
Love With a Space Allowed
Genuine love doesn't include possession
yet that's how we treat the one in our heart
it's relationship, not just our heart's expression
not merely another item in our life's shopping cart.
That person we love is her own being
with part of inner world we never share
so it should be part of mutual agreeing
that we never ever try to intrude in there.
Giving each other a space is a must
which doesn't mean unlimited range
but that's where we talk about trust
space not leading to heart change.
So there is time to love and time to detach
time to share and to find own comfort zone
almost like being granted an escape hatch
while having that special world of our own.
We are never marrying our personality-double
no matter how we see in her our "soul mate"
with that illusion we are inviting trouble
giving our love an unwanted fate.
There is no love without feeling free to be
it's not to make smaller our loving devotion
not loving each other possessively we agree
not to funnel all joy of life into a single emotion.
© 2021 Val Karas