What Is Love?
Note that love is different for every person you come across, but after reading responses of what these little kids thought love was, I knew that my notion of “love” was misconstrued.
This piece was written in 2019 as an exercise. At first it was an attempt to find a new style, but then I fell into a rhythm of describing an emotion in the simplest way possible. It was also a writing challenge where I created a word bank of random words that I was obligated to use throughout the piece...however I wanted. I had recently read an article about Kindergarteners who were taught a poetry course and the way their creativity was limitless. Compared to the fifth graders who were taught the same course, the younger students took a more "unhinged" approach, exploring odd oxymoron’s because within their minds, preconceived notions of what existed and what did not was foreign. I tried to think about love as though I were describing it for the first time.
Note that love is different for every person you come across, but after reading responses of what these little kids thought love was, I knew that my notion of “love” was misconstrued
Mary was a 4-year-old girl who said that love was when you told someone you liked their shirt succeeding that moment they'd wear it every day.
My interpretation of love was never so simple, but when I thought about how much I loved my partner I tried to reimagine the simpler ways that he and I showed it.
Love was when I told him I loved the smell of his cologne and he would spray it on randomly and later reach across my face for something.
Love was when I would ask him if he wanted water and he would say no, but I would get him some anyways.
Love was when he took the first bite of my food to make sure it was not poisoned.
Love was the thing that made me smile while alone and tired.
Love was when he would turn left on the road and he ask me if he was “good right” and I always checked.
Love was him knowing my favorite type of pizza, and how I liked extra packets of pepper.
It was knowing I don’t like sweets (unless it had nuts in it).
It was holding me even after I had cried for getting mad at him over how much I loved him. So much so it made me upset.
I do not think that everyone’s love is the same, but it made me think more of love than just holding him tight and missing him when he’s gone.
This little girl had a better concept of love than I ever had, but it made me realize I didn’t need to die to show my love, or see it, and rather that it had been in the little things all along.