Articulating my thoughts on matters we have settled as human beings is usually within reach. Maybe we never know things for certain, but at least we settle them. The difficulty is with the things that refuse to coalesce in our collective consciousness.
I spend a fair bit of my time thinking about Romantic love among these unresolved things; I don’t know many things we so collectively refuse to stop failing at like we do with Romance. We meet the one or ones, we sing the song or songs and fall in love all at once. Slowly though, love oft gets taken from us; love dies or leaves before the times we pick or devise. This time, in particular, I cast thoughts to loving someone for only the moment - for the time you’re allowed or maybe because it is all you can do. What might it mean to different people when they say or think to themselves; I love you only for the moment. I had thought the brevity would bother me, but I am more puzzled by the motives.
Sometimes people simply loved in waiting; love unrequited wilted and was no more. Others love shortly because they tried; For a season, the love bloomed and then suddenly, without intention, the want was gone. There are those who intentionally look to burn brightly and fast - firework lovers, I call them. In advance, I apologise because I will only leave questions - there will be nothing settled.
When I speak on love here, I’m referring to what the romantic genre of media calls “true love”. As to what that is, we have only poetry, cynicism and everything in between. “ If nothing saves us from death, at least love should save us from life”, Pablo Neruda said. Maybe not a definition, but I read it and feel what love might feel like - salvation from my waking mind. The cynic might say it’s all just the chemical workings of the mind, the way nature pairs us up. Some are poetic about it, too;” If no one told me about it, I would never have fallen in love”, I once read. However, Romantic or classic, the commentary on the brevity of true love is Prevalent. Pablo Neruda says himself: Love is so short, and forgetting is so long. A saddening snapshot. More gruesome are the thoughts of Fictional genius Rick Sanchez: "Listen, Morty, I hate to break it to you, but what people call "love" is just a chemical reaction that compels animals to breed. It hits hard, Morty, then it slowly fades, leaving you stranded in a failing marriage. Rise above. Focus on science." Maybe. Maybe they’re both right about the nature of this “true love” my mind settles on a few motives or circumstances for short-lived endearment.
Firstly, there are some people that set out to love forever, staying committed to each step they can find. The world sees them and laughs; it conspires against them, and It kills their love even quite literally. These people fall to chance. If life were kind, they would have loved in perpetuity. Others are distrustful - maybe you are like this - love comes, but how can this be? The magic here at my doorstep; If it is, then how much more can there be in the wait for me? This man or woman or boy or girl is greedy or scared; they might even be naive. They love partially but wait for the moment to turn their hearts. They kill the bond before it can be taken from them on unwanted terms.
Lastly, if love is not withdrawn by us or taken by life’s force, then maybe it is its nature - here today, gone before the next day. Maybe Love is brief like we are, so we can see how precious it is. A poet may say that. Maybe Netflix’s fictional Nihilist, Rick Sanchez, has it all figured out, and I thought out loud an unanswerable question about chemicals older than even the first men. Maybe no matter what we do, in the truest sense, we might meet the one or ones, dance to all the right songs and even love them but only, at that time, for now.
I Love you for Now
By
Joshua Omoijiade