He looked to love as destination;
as would a traveller to journey’s end.
He looked to love for sweet salvation;
so all hearts broken be given mend.
He sought from love guidance and direction;
to navigate his way to certainty.
He sought from love his soul’s protection;
as guarantee, as life-long warranty.
In search of love he found himself forlorn;
always the wanderer in love’s pursuit.
In search of love he feared the prick of thorn;
and so reluctant, scarcely tasted fruit.
. Too far he travelled and too long he searched;
. void of love’s direction, he leaned and lurched.

© Tim Grace, 27 July 2011

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To the reader: To map love would be an interesting endeavour. Begin with its orientation and from there give it latitude and longitudinal expansion. For the adventurous lover, the terrain would need the undulation of daring dreams that hang precariously above chasms of deep despair. For the intimate lover, there’d need to be shaded woods, babbling brooks and caverns carved into dells and dales. With love designed into the landscape, adventure and intimacy would define the perfect lover’s exploration.

To the poet: Shakespeare’s sonnets express themselves through love’s interpretation; they follow the classic humours of disposition, preference, propensity and temperament. The love sonnets are seasonal: hot, moist and sanguine in Spring; cold, dry and phlegmatic in Winter. A sonnet’s lovescape is not incidentally structured, it’s deliberately sculptured to render love’s authenticity; foolish, debased, devoted, tormented, merciful … fair, kind and true.

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looked to love