copyright 2007, surface earth
I was asked to explain the meaning of love and found myself stalled.
If one needed to ask that question, was it even then possible to explain love in words?
There must be a place where things begin, beyond the surface of the earth, the pure origin. Unfiltered. Uninhibited. Filters affect the purity. To go back to the beginning and see yourself true. Untarnished.
Sitting in Court, waiting to be called, watching a little boy in a long hallway, his Grandma keeping an eye on him and two others. He’s fidgety having no place in his mind for a Court of law, rather than one of reason.
Grandma reaches in her bag, searching, I know that reach, she’s looking for distraction.
I hold out a few pens, his Grandma nods yes, he comes over, takes one and is back again to the paper in his Grandma’s lap.
He returns. “Do you have another? This one doesn’t write sideways.”
What is the measure and effect of thought?
On a recent evening in our home, when other three year olds are getting ready for bed, ours wanted to go outside.
“It’s too late” I heard someone say to him.
He protested, “NO” – he wants to go outside.
“It’s dark and very cold” someone else said to him.
“NO” – he protested louder, he knows what he wants.
“There could be bears outside now” yet another said to him.
Before my son had a chance to respond, I said I was going outside to get something from the car.
“NO” he screeched. But this “no” sounded very different than the others; I turn to my son and saw he was very frightened. He was very frightened for me to be outside because of the bears.
The uncontrollable fear of losing or seeing harm come to someone you simply can not imagine life without – that’s love.
Emotive.
Without words, yet through the use of words.
No one had to tell you in that moment what love was.