My Son Asked for a Definition of Love

Who is love for?

Love is for the person who turns your insides to Jello

when you’re with them.

When they’re gone you starve because they were your spoon.

What is love?

Love is playing hide and seek.

You hide, and you’re scared you’ll never be found,

you get bored waiting,

you giggle in anticipation.

You seek and look everywhere but can’t find the person,

sometimes you get stumped, give up.

When do you love?

When you wake up in the morning surrounded

by your Grogu, Hedwig, and space shuttle stuffies.

When you get hurt and need a kiss and a bandaid.

When your brother hogs the whole bag of beef jerky.

When you read a story,

over, and over again.

Where do you love?

From up close because that’s where it’s easy.

From far away because that’s where it matters.

Not from in the middle,

you shouldn’t do anything only half way.

Why love?

Because it makes you brush your teeth

at least once a day.

Because it means you’ll have the best conversations

about things you never thought about before;

Why are dragonfly wings clear?

or why doesn’t round bread come pre-sliced?

Because you are one Lego in a very big bin,

somewhere in that bin there’s another Lego,

and you and they are meant to snap together.

How do you love?

Love like a window,

be open.