I don’t do this very often, probably because I’m not good with emotions and the world is already full to bursting with poems about love. This one started with a documentary on Derrida where, in exasperation, he made the statement about love that’s in the poem- that got me to thinking about my own feelings for my partner and this in turn led to the poem which is, if anything, an affirmation of the life we’ve shared together since 1970. The documentary is really good- a bit like watching God taking a piss.
Nettski
Jacqui says (and he should know)
There are two types of love
The love of qualities and
The love of the essential,
My love for you is of the second kind.
Jacqui says this poem
is in a frame marked “poem”.
Whilst it is true,
I do love the inside of your thighs,
Your smile, the things you think,
The way you check yourself out,
That’s not why I love you,
Then I get to thinking about essence,
Give some consideration to soul.
Then I see that my love for you
Is implacable, takes no prisoners
Is about the You of You,
The storm within the storm,
The deep inside and the eyes that smile.
I love you.
Jacqui is a clever man,
He’s read three or four books very very well,
He frets about his wife in the kitchen,
And eats lemon curd for breakfast
But he’s only half-right about love,
You cant split qualities from essence,
One reflects the other,
immutable, for ever.
I really love the you of you.