THE Heart of Love

            I believe love in a relationship is a natural yearning that occurs as part of being a human being, to exercise the natural desire of filling the emotional need that can be achieved by an opposite sex, and it would die a natural death if not nurtured. A desire so strong, that it gives one the entitlement of claiming ownership of the other as if it was their own body. Genesis 2:23 “This is bone of my flesh and she shall be called woman.” Genesis 2:24 “A man shall leave his home and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. A deep longing for the other, so much far from your mother’s bosom or lullaby that one time was your comfort.

            I am still learning, later on coming to the understanding of tolerating, compromising and loving the other to the point of death, like in Romeo and Juliet. In this collection, I have written more poems between male and female, perhaps it is because the subject pretty much eludes me, or it is the need to want to learn more as I stir questions on the feelings between both sexes – which is usually perceived as complaining, when it is in actual fact, just one expressing their feelings. And most especially I believe love between wife and husband is the base that holds families, communities and nations, which in turn would be responsible to the peace of the world.

            I don’t know if it is just me or everyone, that I feel more comfortable and confident on speaking on love as a service to others when it is between parents and children. Perhaps it is because it is a safe example, which is so obvious and leaves me with fewer answers to give to the questions on the subject “Love.” As a parent, you give all to service your children, even when they do not recognize your hard work. You still love them and bail them out of trouble when they willingly, but naively choose to hurt you in their ignorant arrogance of knowing it all. In my tribe, Bemba, there is a saying, “a child is an axe, it cuts you but you still bear it over your shoulder.”