“Love” by Thomas Hood
Love, dearest Lady, such as I would speak,
Lives not within the humor of the eye;—
Not being but an outward phantasy,
That skims the surface of a tinted cheek.
Else it would wane with beauty, and grow weak,—
As if the rose made summer,—and so lie
Amongst the perishable things that die,
Unlike the love which I would give and seek,
Whose health is of no hue to feel decay
With cheeks’ decay, that have a rosy prime.
Love is its own great loveliness alway,
And takes new lustre from the touch of time;
Its bough owns no December and no May,
But bears its blossom into Winter’s clime.
What passes for love is often little more than passing fancy, physical lust, or temporary infatuation. But love – true love – fades not with time, neither does it pass away. True love is eternal. It is the undying root and it is, in a word, irrepressible.
Gregory Hake 
If the irrepressible nature of love is not allowed release through our soul because of diversions from the cares of this world conflict is created. With this conflict all manner of disease and unrest follows. This is a sign to reorient to allow the turgor of love to find clear and joyful release into our radiant life expression. Releasing that which blocks or jams the passage of love through ourselves is vital in allowing “love its own great loveliness always, and takes new lustre from the touch of time.”
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The fleeting experience typical of most people’s experience of love is unfortunate, because it does give love a bad name, as the song says! Love is not fickle, fleeting or cruel. there may be a certain mystery to love in the sense that its depth and breadth can never be exhausted, but it is not mysterious in the sense of being random or unreliable. It is, in fact, the core of that which is stable and secure. And yet, if anyone tries to get that security by using love for his or her own purposes, there is hell to pay, and that is not the fault of love!
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True love is not fickle. When you experience it, you know it and all else is a feeble impersonation.
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Beautiful poem. True love is the power of the Omnipotent coming through a pure heart to further his creation on the Earth. It is really our heart’s desire.
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Love is something that has to be remembered, not learned. And to me, as my knowledge of love exist today, is that love is a state of being that should include all elements of one’s existence. With that state including what we commonly think of as heart, emotions, body and spirit. If asking individuals what love is, what would be the variety of answers we would be given? But the perfect state of Love is something that few humans will know, and truly be willing to embrace! As Jesus spoke in way of guidance “let us so love, that all is given in the name of Love”. And I mention Jesus here not to exclude other great ones, who pointed to the same truth with their teachings. Who among us has this present awareness, and willingness to sacrifice all that we believe makes us what we are? Can we become the Buddha’s open hand, with all of it’s significance?
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