Love’s Measure

“I would die for you,” lovers proclaim
to demonstrate the depth and strength of their devotion.
But death is but a moment of courage and noble sacrifice,
and then it’s done,
leaving the beloved with only pain.

For half a lifetime,
I looked for you in the face of every dark-eyed stranger I passed.
I ached for you in the deepest recesses of my soul.
I dreamed of you night after night
and woke up trembling with longing.
I felt the sacred mystery of your presence
without having met you.
My solitary heart cried out for you each day,
and I believed I would find you, no matter how long the journey.
And on those few days when my faith began to waver,
and the search seemed futile,
something ineffable always drew me back to the truth of you.

And so, the measure of my love is this:
I would live for you.