In the beginning
Love is wordless
It is the touch of skin
Suckling. A cuddle in the dark.
Then love is simple
I love you mama
Means you are my world
And you are comfort and
Healing to me
In teenhood love is mercenary.
I love you ma means
Thanks for letting me
Borrow the car
Or stay out late
Or for buying those shoes
I asked for.
For a while, love is complex.
It is heady and passionate
With the new lover.
Then edged with trust and hope,
Then our own children come and
I love you is amazement and joy
Abundance of love while
I love you mum is now
Deeper and filled with new respect
At some point perhaps
I love you is bitter or painful
A holding on or a working hard
And sometimes a letting go
And I suspect
Right at the end
Holding someone’s hand
Eyes moist
That love is wordless again.