Five Faces of Love

By Mac Keyes

LOVE POETRY

Poems of love are images of heart and mind. One image in a poem “Melting Stalactites” denotes dark warm caves that cause overhanging ice-cycles to melt. Romantic images predominate when thinking about love. Other images might speak of political concerns such as including immigrants in society or saving a generation from nuclear weapons. Sometimes an “On Occasion” comment contextualizes the poem. Enjoy the images of these verses.

There is much confusion about love when caring for another or engaging in romance. There are uncomfortable feelings when speaking of an emotion that is personal and private. Enjoy safe secrets through these verses.

The introduction identifies five faces of love and other poems enrich the language of love such as “Chase”, “What Is This Confusion About Love?” and “Seeking Core Values”. Enjoy the deeper dimension of love in these verses.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ronald L. Faust
• Release date: May 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370575534

Mac Keyes

Mac Keyes, a pen name for Dr. Ronald L. Faust, works with peace, justice and ecology groups such as PeaceWorks and Disciples Peace Fellowship. He received a Doctorate from DREW University and an M.Div from CTS, combining work in family life education, peace activism and leisure ministry. The object of his affection is his wife Toni and five grandchildren. He likes to create poetry under his gazebo or out on his sailboat Sabbatical II.

Book preview

The poem Five Faces of Love matches the title of this Love Poetry showing its five categories. Usually you need prose to interpret love poetry but the following poem is up to the task.

Five Faces of Love

The faces of love

Depend on whom

We are looking at

Love is elusive

Mysterious

Especially when love

Is wild, sexual,

Impulsive

I like love like that

Because it fires up

A spark

That surfaces up through

The ordinary layers of

Flatness

While most people who

Live in a movie world

Think of love as sex

Yet I also love love as

Friendship

When one enjoys

The company of

Someone without sex

To probe the depth

Of conversation about

Politics and religion

Someone who can laugh

And play and

Trust those private moments

As well as have fun socializing

But probably most of the time

We think of love as

Caring

The way we were taught

To love our neighbor

As ourself

To attend to the person

On the side of the road

Who needs help

Again this is the context

Of most people’s concept

of love, without

Confusing love with sex,

but caring for another

I do like to think of love

As justice

When dealing with society

Because one can measure

Love by its equality

When those in community

Deserve a fair shake

And those who are at the bottom

Those who are oppressed

Are seen as persons

Who are accepted,

Not ignored or shamed

But something more

About all the dimensions of love

Is to connect the dots

With Peace

Because love is not only a fantasy

That lives in a bubble world

Of dreaming innocence

But it lives in a world of conflict

When couples need to negotiate

Differences

And one should discern when it is

Appropriate to put limits on sex

And know the difference

How sex expresses caring

And that the reconciliation of five loves

Of Romance, Friendship, Caring, Justice

Ends up in Peace, a goal for all

Where all loves celebrate love

That feels like peace.

The faces of love

Depend on whom

We are with

And the mirror

reflects change

by what loving thing

we want to do

Romance, Friendship, Caring, Justice,

Finally call it peacemaking or

Warming up to Love.

Mining the treasure of love is akin to a discovery of a diamond that reflects five facets in breaking through the dimensions of love. Enjoy these poems shining light on the faces of Romance, Friendship, Caring, Justice and Peace.

I: Romance

…looking for the face

of your love,

combining sex and care

in romantic coupling

~ * ~

Carousel

Research on lips, tips and hips

Keeps the mind spinning around

On a trisexta blinking carousel

That’s fun to ride forever and ever.

~ * ~

Chase

It’s in our DNA

The Chase

Flirtation

The Thrill

Following instincts

We want to mate

Such brief pleasure

Risks

Consequences

Emotional

9 months

Venereal

Readiness

Impulsive sex

Can lead to issues

But in marriage

The joy is enduring

Human sexuality

Is more complex

Than we first thought

Yet very simple

We love to do it

Seconds of our time

Last forever

Little deaths come

Unexpectedly

In old age

And the Romance

Recedes to

Caring

Even passion

For Spirituality

All begins and ends

In the Mind

From persons of choices

To brain dead endings

Our love ends in peace.

~ * ~

Come Play My Music

You are the love of my soul

Someone I can play music with

Like a percussion beat of my heart

Or pick up an instrument another time

And breathe into your echo chamber

Like a horn filling you with joy

Or play the caressing strings of passion

Never far from the music deep in my vibrations

I hear your music resonating in my soul.

~ * ~

Committed Love

When music slides up next to you

Like a sweet melody soft on the ears

You breathe in a deep resonating breath

Like lovers cuddling forever into bliss.

(On occasion of distinguishing the beginning intensity of meeting

for the first time and settling into a