Love

Do yourself a favor.  Get together with folk and talk about love.  True story – a few weeks ago a few of us got together to talk about what we loved.  You had to be there.  Everytime someone rapped about love, she or he would ease or lean back; look to the sky; speak softly; and, end the comment with the real-est smile of joy. Peaceful. Playful. Hopeful.  The cookies, coffee, and tea tasted better that afternoon.

We chatted about the stuff that we love:

“A good slice of New York pizza” was a late entry to the list.

Of course we reserved the greatest love for people: our families and friends.  “The guy next to me,” Judy Garland, Kyle, and Hanna also received special mentions.

You know we talked about music.  Here’s our mixtape:

• John Mayer sings Heart of Life
• Best love song ever is Imagine
• I’ve been Kissed by a Rose, sung by Seal
• Mozart Serenade for Winds K.361
• Allison Krause’s When You Say Nothing at All
• Such Great Heights
• Calypso
• The Cure for All Pain sung by John Foreman
• Michael Bublé
• Curucuui Palomar Lola Bennal
• Sam Cooke
• Bob Dylan Wedding Song
• Franco Battiato Ruby Tuesday
• Paolo Nutini Growing Up Beside You
• All You Need is Love
• Spiral Staircase I Love You More Than I did Yesterday
• All My Loving The Beetles
• GWAR I Hate Love Songs
• Stuck on You Lionel Richie
• Dan Fogelburg
• Leader of the Band
• Stereo Love Maya Edward
• Bob Sindar Together
• Soft Higher
• Bruises Chairlift
• At Last Etta James
• John Legend Save Room PDA
• Everyday Dave Matthews Band
• Marisa Monte Amor, I Love You

We made other lists. The reads, looks, and listens that we love: US: Americans Talk about Love by John Bowe from “On Point” with Tom Ashbrook (February 2, 2010); Pablo Neruda Love Poem XVII; Helen Fisher; Judgment Day; Lost; Friends, and Pablo Neruda’s Love Poem XVII.

And we spoke of the ideas that we love:

We also tried a variation of Smith Magazine’s challenge – use six words to talk about love:

• Love walked me home last night
• Help people, learn to love self
• Why I continue to hold on
• Showing compassion and tolerance even through pain
• Love is every emotion in one
• The warm pulse that embraces your soul
• “Pain throws your heart to the ground, love turns the whole thing around, fear is a friend that’s misunderstood ‘cause I know the heart of life is good.”
• Crazy feeling that you can’t describe
• Love is patient; smiling at someone you don’t now; understanding; Titanic; swallowing your pride; and, peace.
• “A truth not told, but shown.” – Kemi Alabi
• growth through interdependence and security
• “Forever thine, forever mine, forever our.” – Beethoven
• When flaws become beautiful and endearing
• Love: live in a good place. Keep your mind deep. Treat others well. Stand by your word. Make fair rules. Do the right thing. Work when it’s time.
• The greatest mistake you can make
• Discovering and being true to yourself
• People that are around me, always
• The ability to cherish another’s faults
• A radiant commonality of personal passions
• Love’s a noun and a verb
• Opportunity to be myself without barriers
• You frustrate me. I need you.
• Love is Justice. Justice is unconditional.
• “Abandon hope all ye who enter.” – Dante
• Amor beatissimum donum vitae est
• Protection; family; friends; trust; nation; causes
• Faith in love’s ineffable eternal abilities
• Elating; fleeting; wonderful; magnificent; all-consuming; all-empowering; longing; yearning; searching; crashing; love-deferred
• The Greatest Mistake You Can Make
• Lacking of fear now and forever
• Immense pain, hatred, but much more
• A passionate affair pursuing consensual dreams
• Unabashed nakedness, fear, and trust to another
• You. Me. Us. Together. We.
• Allows me to breathe even underwater
• Feeling of sublime affinity to another
• Someone who is your best friend
• Being there when they all count
• Affection and understanding for another/something
• Frenzied inspiration that lasts forever
• The bonds[we (make] us) stronger
• Puppy blood goes great with toast
• Cookies and coffee can stimulate community
• Complicated to encapsulate in six words
• More than Hallmark can ever say
• Holding hands in a dark theatre
• We live far away, not forever
• Getting it’s incredible, loosing it sucks
• Creates rather shoddy six word poem
• Cant be described in 6 words – Hakim J. Walker

Peace.