I Love You

They told us it’s patient,

They told us it’s kind,

Why did my love

Never seem to find time?

They said roses are red

And those bruises are blue,

But do not worry

Because he loves you.

I once met a woman

She was kind and sweet

She told me my love

looked a bit incomplete.

I smiled and said,

“Don’t worry everything’s fine,

I know this is temporary

One day he’ll be all mine.

My mother and father

They did not approve

They told me in love

You shouldn’t have to lose.

My mother told me,

“Love is more than just a word,

It’s more than something you say

Just to be heard.

“It’s not a be-all, end-all,

It’s nothing like that

It’s something you give

And expect nothing back.”

I told her she was insane

I told her, that could not be true

I know that he loves me,

He said, “I love you.”

I pondered awhile,

I wondered, “Could she be right,

Could love be more,

Than a thing in the night?”

I thought for a second,

About what she’d said,

But then I turned away,

Shaking my head.

If my love was a lie,

If what she said was true,

How could I leave?

I’d have nothing to do.

He told me no one could love me,

And I believed him, at first.

He told me I was lucky

That he could “love” such a curse.

He was all that I had,

And I didn’t have much.

So I stayed and I stayed,

Until enough was enough.

They say hindsight's 20/20,

I know this to be fact,

Because I don’t see love,

Everytime I look back.

I see a lot of confusion,

I see a lot of loss.

But know, now I know,

Love can’t be put in a box.

It’s not something you pull out

whenever you wish.

And you can’t solve all problems

With a hit or a kiss.

Love is caring and sharing.

The first graders have it right,

Love gives all it has,

It’d even give its life.

Love is an action

It is not just a word

And if your love degrades you,

That’s not love, that’s absurd.

The love I know now,

It’s more than I could have dreamed

But it’s not with a man,

Or a woman or thing.

The love I know now

Is selfless and pure.

He tells me to love

He makes me secure.

He tells me to value myself,

Which is something I wish

I would have listened to

Back I was a kid.

My Creator, he knows me.

He put me together.

He tells me to love,

And he makes me feel better.

Thought times still get rough

And I still get weary

I know he is there

And I don’t have to query.

He says to love all his children

That’s the best way to live.

And if you do that,

It’s easy to forgive.

He has given me patience

To learn how to wait,

If I rely on him

He’ll provide someone great.

Someone who treats me

With the respect I deserve.

I’ve learned it’s not crazy

To know I have worth.

My person is out there,

I know this is true,

And he knows what it means

To say “I Love You.”