My fondness for this poem begins with
The iconic first line that I reread
Again and again like the weapon that
Is Browning's namesake and pen describing
A love with searing intensity.
The first line imitates a catharsis
but without the suppression.
It's unbridled and raw and bold despite
Her "quiet need" and knowing silences.
It's detailed, specific, meticulous
Since every single day is not the same
Everyday, for she differentiates
Each dose of love even though she will say
I love thee, I Love thee, I love Thee
More times than I can count. Declaring it
So confidently to someone else seems
Like a romantic love in its purest form.
It transcends the dimensions that we know
Beyond depth, breadth, height, and the tangible
She loves with every breath until her last,
Smiles and tears, life and death, dimensions so vast,
So completely opposite, but no space
Contains the love she has now as to her "lost saints"
Her lover is her light; it is quiet and shines
Through everything and makes her feel alive,
To love again, with feeling. More intense.
I don't have a romantic interest
To whom I would repeat "I love thee"
So I'll explain with terms I understand
And attempt to replicate the rhythm
That made Elizabeth's heart beat.
Was her faith as steadfast as a heartbeat?
Two lover's cohesion that created harmony?
Loving not for ulterior motive,
Ignoring lost innocence, lost faith, and old griefs?
I don't have a romantic interest
To whom I would repeat "I love thee"
I can't imitate, relate, or articulate
What she's trying to say. But I think I'll
Know it when I feel it. And when I do,
I will consider counting the ways I love you.
Original Poem: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43742/sonnets-from-the-portuguese-43-how-do-i-love-thee-let-me-count-the-ways
