Your Love

Chapter four in a book dedicated to my son. This chapter focusing on finding and building love in the opposite sex.

                           Chapter 4

                           Your Love

 

Son, when a breeze of summer stirs your heart,

Causing reason and logic to soon depart,

This the time young ladies seek their knight -

Prompting the cherub Cupid hours of delight.

 

There is nothing on Earth more visceral, 

An effect emotionally ethereal.

Within these moments of simplicity,

Poor discretion awaits your complicity.

 

It's not your judgment upon her I suggest,

Consider her motives - her past will attest.

Many will seek all of your affections,

Make your motives pure - Your past? Perfection.

 

You will do well to listen to these words,

It's from other’s mistakes these thoughts are heard.

Trust not the heart only to be your guide,

Call upon all wisdom before you decide.

 

In finding a bride for which love abounds,

Reflect on the place where she is found.

This is often a young man's stumbling block,

Untrue love behind the wrong door unlocked.

 

Consider these truths in your noble quest:

Would a dove find love in the hornet’s nest?

Would a deer harbor it in the wolf’s den?

Neither you, my son, where there exists sin.

 

Make our mighty God part of this great search,

The treasure may be found in the Lord’s church.

There find one who honors him before they you,

Rest assured she is most precious to pursue.

 

Just as his wives led Solomon astray,

In yielding to passions - God you betray.

Give your heart to no one - if God they forsake,

That you'll not be guilty of his grave mistake.

 

After you find the honorable place to look,

Weigh yourself against the precepts of the good book.

Have you prayed for God’s providence to prevail?

Lest your zealous search should come to no avail.

 

Season this search with patience made perfect,

Look for someone whom your own life reflects.

This the key to unlock a love that’s divine,

Love unlatched when your interests intertwine.

 

A word of caution to temper your zeal -

For this pitfall will claim a love that’s real.

When your desire is for her beauty alone -

It's her dire qualities beauty fails to atone.

 

Focus on the heart with truth and God’s will,

There find a bond with one where love fulfills. 

When on this lovely creature your gaze should fall,

Save for your faith, you should abandon cares all.

 

Entreat her with laughter, kindness, and respect;

Never demanding or guilty of neglect.

Be genuine and sincere - always a friend,

In doing so her love you will apprehend.

 

It’s hard maintaining such an upright walk;

Sometimes you will stumble in actions and talk.

Offer her an apology most sincere,

Let her know attentively she is so dear.

 

Be careful of this - one of love’s afflictions -

This type of behavior will cause much friction.

Never forget she has aspirations,

Replacing hers’ with yours’ brings complications.

 

As time passes, your love will be in full bloom -

Leaving behind the shell of its cocoon.

It's constantly changing rather you than it,

You’re growing too when to her you submit.

 

The time will arrive when your trust is mature -

Both of you agreeing your love will endure.

 Son, listen to dad and learn from his mistakes,

Fearing your commitment will bring heartbreak.

 

Now, summon your courage and do the right thing,

Remember your commitment sealed with a ring.

Privately speak with her father and mother;

Letting them know that you care for no other.

 

My son, this is important - heed my advice,

Else regret will seize - a prison of great price.

Prepare for her a proposal so sublime,

Make this moment a breathtaking stop of time.

 

For the rest of her days she'll fondly recall,

How she fell in love with a boy so tall;

How he treated her as she could only dream,

A story told to grandchildren with a gleam.

 

These words I write not from good memories;

Your mother deserved so much better than me.

Son, I have failed in every line of this verse,

Thus she married not for better but worse.

Reviews

[Mark]

Though I didn't review every chapter singly, Todd, I read them all with joy and appreciation. How I wish I had had a father who so cared for me as to offer such sage and gentle advice, not in the midst of a drunken rage, or via the ball of a fist or the flat of a belt. I hope your son has the wisdom to appreciate the gentle yet poignant cajolings you've so lovingly profferred...but if I know teenagers at all, that's a forlorn hope! Nevertheless, if he has a tenth the wisdom of his father, he shall have been well-prepared indeed!

There are a few glitches of punctuation I should like to see addressed, but no number of flaws so superficial as those can in any way reduce my enjoyment of this piece. Thank you, and may every teeneager who reads this thank you in his heart as well!