Love is Like These Things

      by a very dear friend of mine

Love is like a butterfly, dancing to and fro.
It's also like a shooting star that makes the night aglow.
Love is like a snowflake, falling from the sky.
It's also like the epic tale which often makes us cry.
Love is like the ballad, the most beloved kind of song.
It's also like a season already been here and gone.
Love is like all these things, transient and fleeting.
But we do so desire it as long as our hearts are beating.

Love is like a forest, with creatures of every name.
It's also like an abandoned lot which nature must reclaim.
Love is like a river, flowing swiftly from its source.
It's also like a desert we may flee without remorse.
Love is like a dream come true, from some novel we once read.
It's also like a nightmare that tortures us instead.
Love is like all these things, for reasons not entirely known.
Perhaps it is simply this:  we will reap what has been sown.

Love is like a fire, consuming all with heat.
It's also like a game as long as we don't cheat.
Love is like a candlestick, burning at both ends.
It's also like a feast we have been invited to attend.
Love is like a newborn child, nurtured it will grow.
It's also like the funeral of someone we used to know.
Love is like all these things, so there's no use pretending.
With every thing that begins there must always be an ending.


                                                                                                
                                                                                                 November 10th, 1999