A love sonnet

vegaspkrdlr · Guest Gender:

I have loved this sonnet since the first time I heard it. I hope it touches you as much as it did me...

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way than this

in which there is no I or you
so close that your hand upon my chest is my hand
so close that when you fall asleep it is my eyes that close

Pablo Neruda