Contemplation of Love

It's Valentine's Day here in the United States and I found myself contemplating what love is ... 
How does one define love? Can love even truly ever be defined by words? 

If we go to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary we will find the definition of love as: 
(1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties 
(2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers 
(3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests 
b: an assurance of affection
2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion 

---

But do these definitions, do these words really define what love is to us personally? Can we really vocalize the emotion that we label love? Honestly what I experience and define as love may not be at all what you experience or define as love. It's truly an elusive concept and enigmatic emotion that we as human beings experience with another person or sentient being. It's an energetic exchange that motives us to behave and speak in a way that unites us with those we share the love experience. I believe that love is altruistic and unconditional in nature though through our human experience we may put conditions on our love for another and find that it is unhealthy for us to always act altruistically, but at its core, when felt by someone who is in a state of health and well-being for another who is also in a state of health and well-being, love is all encompassing. It is elating and inspiring. It is a feeling like no other and holds a power that cannot be replicated. 

---

​​Love
 
Love dwells in my soul.
Lady Love, so soothing is she!
The peace and serenity of her song imbues
All fractures, every niche
Fills with joy.
 
What is so real as the laughter of a beloved?
A child’s giggle may be freeing
But it is naïve.
Purity cures much, so Love explains
Honesty is a virtue
 
Its integrity a bit daunting.
O Lady Love, Love
Gently soothing all wounds!
Her soft embraces, tranquil tendrils,
May be severed any minute, clipped.
 
And here you approach, with a handful of trepidation
Twisted in fear.
Desperate eyes wide in panic weeping,
There is no stopping.
Love offers you refuge, me.
 

- CricketSong from A Witch's Voice