Beatnik Love Poem (paraphrase of Song of Songs 8:6-7 and 1 Corinthians 13)

Beatnik Love

Paraphrase of Song of Songs 8:6-7 and 1 Corinthians 13

by Rachel Giles

Set me as a tattoo on your heart

      Seal my ring on your finger

For LOVE is as strong as death,

Our souls entwined breathe the same breath

Hearts protected, bound together

      Distressed only to become enmeshed

For ardent love is as unrelenting as Sheol

LOVE can’t be bought, L O V E    c a n ’ t     b e   s o l d

When love flashes over,

It consumes beyond the fire load

Its flames are fierce and daunting,

Nothing can be found that it can’t corrode

Mighty waters cannot put out the flames of love!
Floods, rivers, not even torrents of ran from above!

Without it,          we are nothing

Even if we have faith to move mountains,

The gift to prophecy

Understand all mysteries;

speak all languages;

converse with angels;

offer our bodies to be burned;

give everything to feed the poor!

             

Without love…

Everything means nothing

Of this, I ensure.

LOVE is patient, and kind

Never  jealous

Boastful

proud or rude

Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered

Keeping records of wrong,                it doesn’t include

Love protects from evil

LOVE rejoices in the truth

Love is always supporting,

Loyal

Hopeful

Trusting

In it, there will never be room for a ruse

Love never fails!

It never ends!

It never flees!

Prophecies will stop, Languages will no longer be spoken

Knowledge forgotten, Understanding be broken

We don’t know everything

And our prophecies are not complete

But what is perfect will someday appear

And what isn’t perfect will then disappear

The only things that will remain

And not collapse at our feet

Are faith, hope and love

…everything else,               
                                                            LOVE        will defeat.

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This poem was written for my upcoming wedding. Do not use without permission or credit given. And, while I'm at it, I'm still looking for someone to perform it. So if you're available on September 15, 2012 and want to hang out in Upstate, NY, you just let me know. ;-)