When Does Real Love Begin?
Anaïs Nin
When does real love begin?
At first it was a fire, eclipses, short circuits, lightning and fireworks; the incense, hammocks, drugs, wines, perfumes; then spasm and honey, fever, fatigue, warmth, currents of liquid fire, feast and orgies; then dreams, visions, candlelight, flowers, pictures; then images out of the past, fairy tales, stories, then pages out of a book, a poem; then laughter, then chastity. - Anaïs Nin
When the fire of love ignites
The body responds with short circuits
With glorious lightning and fireworks
With eclipses obscuring the truth
We lie under the full moon on hammocks
With brimming glasses of wine
Smoking hashish
The night sky filled with the heady perfume of incense
Emotions fill us with liquid fire
Honey dripping from our lips
Nights by candlelight and fire
Flowers delivered to my door
A fairytale beckons in dreams
Poems written in a fever
Pictures drawn on napkins
In midnight cafes
Pages torn out of books
Images from the past flicker
A story someone told
Brings me sharply back to reality
Namaste
The rough and tumble of love grows,
as it matures into the gentle rock and cradle,
takes longer, the embraces softer.
As it becomes less urgent and more intimate,
an act drawn out and relished,
it moves from the ever holding hands
to the comfortable stares from chairs across the room,
to just the satisfaction in the knowledge of proximity.
No longer a need for constant contact and affirmation,
knowing that the other will always be there.
As the physical space grows
it allows for the true depth of love to be experienced,
until finally there is a separation.
But the love still lingers,
held by nothing physical,
anchored in the spirit and soul.
A journey from the transitory infatuation to a deep and abiding love can take a lifetime.
Awww, so beautiful...🙏 I sat with your poem for several minutes, and honestly, your words touch the soul deeply. If I had to choose between Anaïs and your poem, I choose yours. Thank you, keep writing so wondefully ✨