"Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue to exist, a wonderful living side by side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky."
This is a beautiful collection, thank you, Austin. I see a lot of my own favorites here. The ones that really get me are about the everyday experience of love. Wendell Berry does this so well when he writes about his wife.
Here's a taste from "The Country of Marriage":
...We are more together
than we know, how else could we keep on discovering
we are more together than we thought?...
Even an hour of love is a moral predicament, a blessing
a man may be hard up to be worthy of. He can only
accept it, as a plant accepts from all the bounty of the light
enough to live, and then accepts the dark,
passing unencumbered back to the earth, as I
have fallen time and again from the great strength
Thank you for the excellent blackout poems and quotes.
This FB post I wrote 11 years ago came up in my Timehop, though I wrote it on Feb. 14:
It's officially Valentine's Day (and yes, the cynical part of me recalls the rampant commercialism that I experienced earlier at HEB with all those buying gifts for girlfriends, wives, husbands, parents, etc. and wonders about participating in that--see my post about love as a zero-sum game)! But love is still love, and the very palpable sense of it that I felt at our chapel observance of Ash Wednesday, prompts me to share some of my favorite song lyrics on the subject:
"Love will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, it will set you free, become the man [woman] you were made to be" Mumford & Sons, "Sigh No More"
"Hearts can break and hearts can turn the tide / all is love and love is open wide" Bee Gees, "Ghost Train"
"Love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears" Mumford & Sons, "After the Storm"
And of course,
"All you need is love" Well, I think I don't need to cite this one :)
Brother: How do you know someone loves you?
Big Sister: They call you honey.
My all time favorite Rilke quote:
"Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue to exist, a wonderful living side by side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky."
“The moon is beautiful, isn't it?”
This is a beautiful collection, thank you, Austin. I see a lot of my own favorites here. The ones that really get me are about the everyday experience of love. Wendell Berry does this so well when he writes about his wife.
Here's a taste from "The Country of Marriage":
...We are more together
than we know, how else could we keep on discovering
we are more together than we thought?...
Even an hour of love is a moral predicament, a blessing
a man may be hard up to be worthy of. He can only
accept it, as a plant accepts from all the bounty of the light
enough to live, and then accepts the dark,
passing unencumbered back to the earth, as I
have fallen time and again from the great strength
of my desire, helpless, into your arms.
The best part about your collection is that none of them are mushy.
Thank you for the excellent blackout poems and quotes.
This FB post I wrote 11 years ago came up in my Timehop, though I wrote it on Feb. 14:
It's officially Valentine's Day (and yes, the cynical part of me recalls the rampant commercialism that I experienced earlier at HEB with all those buying gifts for girlfriends, wives, husbands, parents, etc. and wonders about participating in that--see my post about love as a zero-sum game)! But love is still love, and the very palpable sense of it that I felt at our chapel observance of Ash Wednesday, prompts me to share some of my favorite song lyrics on the subject:
"Love will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, it will set you free, become the man [woman] you were made to be" Mumford & Sons, "Sigh No More"
"Hearts can break and hearts can turn the tide / all is love and love is open wide" Bee Gees, "Ghost Train"
"Love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears" Mumford & Sons, "After the Storm"
And of course,
"All you need is love" Well, I think I don't need to cite this one :)
Peace and love, my friends and family!
Love me some blackout love. You had me at "re-elect."
"you make everyone else...everyone else" - Austin, that is one of the best I've read ever.
Reminded me of "Love is not a feeling, it's an ability", quote from Dan In Real Life. https://youtu.be/Jk2nLNfzVrY?si=r4txy7mP-24MOhJq&t=125
"On me your voice falls as they say love should, / Like an enormous yes." - Philip Larkin, "For Sidney Bechet" https://allpoetry.com/For-Sidney-Bechet
"There is NOTHING in this world like the power of two people finding each other."
my brother, Scott Whitebird, at my wedding 34 yrs ago
Loved this! Thank you.
This made me realize I need to think more about love
Recipe for happiness Khaborovsk or anyplace
One grand boulevard with trees
with one grand cafe in sun
with strong black coffee in very small cups.
One not necessarily very beautiful
man or woman who loves you.
One fine day.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
This was the first genuinely compelling set of love quotes I've ever seen. Thank you!!
The Cure - Friday I’m in love.