Love probes the deepest recess of intent
It dis-annuls the foibles of the flesh
As hunger and humility enmesh
In poignant intricacies heaven-sent
Where all the laws of rigidness are bent
To adhere to its utter selflessness
Defying longing’s wretched emptiness
It fills the vexing void of discontent
Indwelling and outpouring synchronized
Mortality and Mystery ally
To sear, perplex, in passion undisguised
A joyous grief of wounds to satisfy
Love’s subliminal conquest recognized
By sanguine sorrow silvering the eye
***
Love; it denudes our vulnerability
And strips the barriers of self-defense
With nothing more than whispers, wild, intense
We dare to bear its stunning misery
In spite of what we can or cannot see
Willing to risk its ruthless recompense
Susceptible, our soul-blood we dispense
Forgiving shortfalls of humanity
Dismantling the bulwarks of the heart
We plunge into a volatile unknown
To taste its utterance, for no rampart
Can exile hope; love’s obscure stepping-stone
No common logic augments to outsmart
The need to feed on crumbs from heaven’s throne
***
We wrestle with the pain of pleasure’s kiss
And revel in its keen, incumbent grief
Thriving within its ruthless un-relief
As we return to drink its suffering bliss
For everything is nothing without this
Of our inmost yearning, love is chief
The anchor in emotion trite and brief
Its bittersweet, the air we reminisce
A filament of ecstasy and woe
Laughing, it weeps; tempestuous embrace
A tug-of-war in holding; letting go
The climax of insanity and grace
We let the tenure of its torment flow
In tears of joy and sorrow on our face
© Janet Martin
