Love Poem 20

Unconditional love is a funny thing

because it is really more of a concept

about tolerance than it is love.

Nothing in this world is without condition.

Maybe not even in the next world either.

To say

I love you

without any parameters or qualifications?

Please.

Even a mother’s love has limits.

Call me a cynic.

Call me cold.

Call me out of touch.

I agree.

I am all of those things and more.

Love always has a price,

and we decide if we are willing to pay or not.

I love you no matter what.

I bet.

Let me burn your house down and we will see if you still love me.

Let me steal your car and we will see if you still love me.

Let me start a rumour about you and we will see what the

outcome is.

Let me show up at your window

in the small hours

and scream at the top of my lungs until you answer

and we will see if you still love me.

Maybe he is sick, you will say.

Maybe he needs to get help, you will say.

Maybe he will get better, you will say.

Whatever is said to justify the love, eventually

hell comes home

and enough is enough.

Unconditional love, my eye.

Everything has conditions and we just need to accept that

and everyone will be

much happier

in this world.

Don’t we agree that

honesty and truthfulness should be

conditions of love?

I suppose that’s different though, isn’t it?

Those are different conditions.

Call in the lawyers so I can understand it all.