But we tend to gloss over the downsides of love and keep the pleasant memories. We do just the opposite with war. For all its hell, it has its benefits.
It is actually this quote form your prosaic introduction that I found most compelling. There is, I think, a poem in that insight.
In my experience, the War of Love (Divorce & Custody Battle) was worse than anything I experienced in the military. It's a different kind of anguish than what one finds on the battlefield ... and one I found considerably less tolerable.
In real war, one sees humanity stripped of it's thin veneer of civilization ... and sometimes, what you see is a horror. But more often, it is an thing that inspires awe. Loyalty, courage, honor, determination and ... self-sacrifice, when such words actually mean what they say.
There's nothing noble, nor anything than could be interpreted as noble, that emanates from Love Gone Bad (which 99% of the time involves betrayal ... lying, cheating and stealing). Trust ... is a terrible thing to lose, and a monstrous thing to make someone lose it.
“'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
You won't here me say it often (he's an family ancestor), but in this instance, I think Tennyson was decidedly wrong.
Incidentally, a fine poem. :-)
Quill.
Thank you, kind sir. You have a keen eye for detail, and the insight to back it up. I truly appreciate what you bring to the table, and I agree about Tennyson. I have often thought that, as well. Better to have loved and lost ... blimey, only something a poet would say. ;-)