What Is This Love? Poem by Linda Galvin

What is this love?
If not a union when two are joined
in marital estate;
blessed by church and heaven;
strengthened by propitious wishes -
of hope on a journey of discovery

A love springing from the vine,
that sent forth exploratory tendrils
outwards to bind seamlessly -
and then thrusting skyward
in reciprocal ambition,
all the while anchored securely
by the root of Jesse

A love sublime;
honoured by innocence,
yet enflamed by passions
deep within each other;
blossoming like perfect rosebuds -
so tightly curled to unfurl
in velvet beauty; sweetly scented.

It is a love that knows patience
and forbearance,
that acts in kindness,
respectful of each other’s needs -
that forgives completely
and remembers not the cause.

A steadfast love, bound
in mutual trust and respect;
accepting of its own vulnerability
to hurts and wrongs,
yet still spills forth exuberantly
to gladden each heart and
lighten the world it touches

This is a love that seizes the moment
to add memories to life’s album of adventure.
Sharing smiles and tears
which will build a storehouse
of life-enhancing experiences,
guided by the Spirit’s compass

What is this love?
So jubilant in its supremacy,
yet bends its will to another
of great power and gentle nature;
that bridges time and space
of one love – eternal.