Saturday, February 15, 2014

Devotionals



image borrowed from bing


Devotionals

“Nothing truly valuable arises from ambition, or from a mere
sense of duty; it stems rather from love & devotion towards
men & objective things.”--Albert Einstein.

Not all love
starts with the tangled skein
of steaming lust,

but
certainly whatever
prompts
our affections
is laden with passion
as purple as plums
or pregnant prose.

We can appreciate good manners in others,
we yearn for the warmth of Spring,
we seek kinship with those we care for,
we are fond of chocolate mousse,
we have a crush on the boss’s secretary,
relishing her favored low-cut bodices;

we’re mad about poetry of all kinds,
we can be devoted to some of our friends,
a sports team, or a dog;
we often are infatuated with banana splits,
& we can be zealous about driving our classic
1968 Chevrolet SS Impala convertible with the
396 mill, & four-speed manual transmission--

or we can worship the wild wind 
that sounds like a church choir 
       as it swirls around the treetops;
some of us seem to idolize certain celebrities,
       while others like to nurture friendships with buskers

we often respect clever wordsmithing, 
or cherish the pristine negative ions 
that saturate our souls
while beach-combing, 
or remain in a state of rapture
following a great film or live performance.

So it seems
that Love wears many masks,
and has numerous

cousins & guises,
& I really dig that;
for it certainly

beats the hell
out of the alternative,
just settling for the dark side
of things. 


Glenn Buttkus

Posted over on dVerse Poets Poetics

Would you like to hear the author read this poem to you?

20 comments:

Claudia said...

first - i really love the quote you start this with and yes... love has many faces, many cousins and it can be there in different intensities as well... i like those nuances, makes it all the more precious...

brudberg said...

great take.. yes love can be a lot of things.. and it sure beat the alternative... many great examples in your list.. and I would like to settle for that wind blowing in the treetops

Scarlet said...

I too like the quote & different masks & guises of love ~ I specially like that rapture from comes from great film or good story or poetry ~

Happy weekend Glenn ~

Mary said...

Yes, truly there are many different kinds of love; and it is good that we have so many choices. Really life would be dull without passion of one kind or another. Without passion, life would be living death I think. As the old adage says, "Different strokes for different folks."

Laurie Kolp said...

Love is everywhere, in everything.

avalon said...

Apart from that wild wind,[too many storms right now] I agree with everything you write.
Such an interesting selection.

Anonymous said...

But without the dark how would we appreciate the light Glenn? >KB

Gabriella said...

A very inspirational quote, as always! I like the idea that there is love for all kinds of people and my favorite image is that of the 'wild wind that sounds like a church choir'.

Misky said...

Light and dark are often balanced, as are the various elements of love. Nice poem.

Brian Miller said...

i think at times we over use the word honestly....but then again maybe it is just all the faces of love...the textures and meanings of it...def beats the hell out of the alternative...lol

Paul d said...

Neat way of putting it, I like it.

Anonymous said...

Amen and amen. I think the best poetry says Yes to life with all the love we can summon.

Mystic_Mom said...

You rocked this Glenn! Wow. Very very cool. Thanks for playing along with the prompt today.

Audrey Howitt aka Divalounger said...

It certainly does beat the alternative! Love in its guises--really a strong write although I am not familiar with your work--so maybe they are all strong writes!

kaykuala said...

Love manifests itself in many forms. But your offering offers more. Lots to think on love and one grabs the choices that are deemed fit. Great write Glenn!

Hank

Ginny Brannan said...

Absolutely "beats the hell out of the alternative"
Well said, Glenn, well said!

Linda Rogers said...

Love different types of love and how you describe them. It's so true that love can be a person, place, thing, etc...

vb holmes said...

Love does come in different forms, shapes, personas--and when it comes to that '68 Chevy Impala--well you got me there!

Anonymous said...

I dig this ;)
I like the conversational tone, the many faces of love, the guises, the cousins (good one) and, yes, beats the alternative! ;) loved that.

Anonymous said...

yes, it does beat the hell out of the alternative, Glenn. I like your sure narrative voice ~