Counting The Ways Of Love (a poetry challenge)
This is my reply to @andysantics48’s challenge to write a love poem. Read her poem here. Elizabeth Barrett Browning said, in Sonnet 43: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
Counting The Ways Of Love
One is for mother
For father too
Our love for our parents
Come what may, it is true
Two is for siblings
Loved with all our might
Brothers and sisters
(Even though we may fight!)
Three is for pets
A dog or a cat
Mouse, horse or guinea pig
No bond stronger than that
Four is for family
Cousins and aunts
Grandparents, uncles
That make your heart dance
Five is for close friends
The family we choose
Those dear souls at our side
We know we can’t lose
Six, other friendships
Deep felt or light
Short term or long term
Casual or tight
Seven’s for lovers,
A partner or spouse
Without them our heart
Is an empty house
Eight is for children
A love that’s so deep
If they are threatened
We fight (or we weep)
Nine is for faith
For some it is God
For others it’s different
Your choice gets my nod
Ten is for meaning
The work that we cherish
That makes us feel needed
Without it, we’d perish
Eleven’s for hobbies
Leisure and fun
Our favourite pastimes
When the work day is done
Twelve is for nature
The land and the seas
The good food we eat
Fresh air, and the trees
Some lucky people
Know every way
But whichever you have
Make them matter each day
To the loves I’ve forgotten
I just want to say
From my heart to yours
Namaste
EDIT: Oops, I was supposed to nominate some others to write a love poem (or song, story or picture I guess) to spread the love. So I nominate @dreemit, @mineopoly, @meesterboom, @iamthegray and @onetree.
Thanks for reading
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Very nice poetry. I can see here you are not just counting the ways of love but counting also the blessings of having these people, pets, and everything that comes into your life. The things or people we love are the blessings we have.
That's so true! Thanks for your insight.
You nailed it @kiwideb. This is the answer to Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem... count the ways
The structure of the poem unfolds through counting. Each way deeper and broader. I have a really hard time to read love poems or write love poems without laughing but this one I didn't laugh. You took a lot of thought and just said it as it is. Thank you for sharing.
I would have had trouble writing the usual type of love poem too. Oddly enough, the inspiration was the story I wrote for the challenge with "Jack Nicholson" and "chess player" as the prompts. I later realised that was a love story, with some of the different types of love in it. So that must have still been in the back of my mind. Thanks for your comment.
That was an amazing ending with "Jack Nicholson." It won't be easy to forget.
Beautiful answer, really if it is the 12 different forms of love and each one expressed it as it is.
I think there are probably even more than 12, but maybe those are the 12 most important :-)
Namaste indeed. This was such a nice intimate piece, my friend. Heading in, I was humming that song to serve as the background music. I like how you quanitified everything, which is hard since love is mostly unmeasurable haha!
Unmeasurable, indescribable, but maybe acknowledgable. I should have nominated you! I would love to see what you would do with this subject.
Perhaps it's in the books, and I wouldn't need a challenge to motivate me to post in the near future ;)
What a fabulous poem @kiwideb and so beautifully presented.......Next challenge.......set these thoughtful words written with a grateful heart to 🎵 🎶 🎵 music. 😊
Thanks Trudee. Hmm, that next challenge needs to be passed on like a baton, maybe to someone like @ed-the-songster...
This is a beautiful and thoughtful poem know many ways. So much emotion packed into those very short verses
But this caught my attention
If only the world lived this way, if only
Blessings
PS: I'm in for the challenge
True, that! If only the world lived that way, how different would things be. I'll look forward to your contribution. In fact, I must pop over to your place now and see what else you've been up to.
Haha
I hope you like what you saw
I haven't been up to much. My days are spent on visits to the eye clinic. I create my posts at night, just after dinner.
I've been meaning to ask, can I write a story/essay instead of a poem for the 'Love Is' challenge?
Poetry only comes in rap form this days
Oops, missed a couple of replies way back here. And I haven't had time the last couple of days to read much, so if you've done something I've missed it! Do whatever form you like :-)
Alright
Expect my piece soon
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