We are bombarded on a daily basis, through the news, social media and in our daily lives, of the hate that exists in the world.  We are reminded constantly of the divisions that exist in society, whether they be racial, religious, socio-economic or ethnic in origin.  It would be easy to conclude from all that we see and hear, that love has no place in this world.  Yet, if one takes the time to step out of the ordinary chaos of human existence and just be still, one may perceive that there is an underlying current of love that holds the world together and that this love is what sustains life itself.  It was this perception that inspired me to write the following poem comparing love to the ocean:

True love is like the ocean. It is teeming with life, providing sustenance to all who live within its all-encompassing embrace. Its depths are unplumbable; its vastness unending. It magnifies the beauty and intensity of the light of day. It provides cover to all those who seek its protection in the dark of night.

It grows in strength and intensity to meet the onslaught of the storm. Yet it is peaceful and serene in fair weather. Its power cannot be stopped, nor contained. Its currents can move any object, and its persistence can reduce the largest mountain to a pile of sand. Though its waters appear to advance and recede with the tides, its volume and depth remain unchanged.

The ocean is the womb of the earth, from which all life is born and to which all life will return at death, to be reborn again in its eternal cycle, cleansing all who are baptized by its waters. As the ocean is the life’s blood of the earth, so is love the life’s blood of the cosmos.