Love

January 6

Love, above all things, is the favorite of the things on my thankful for things list. Without it, we are just empty shells of people going through the motions of life. Love can make us soar to unachievable heights. And while love elicits the strongest "feel good" emotions, it, or lack of it, is also responsible for the worst feelings we ever experience. That is why I chose this heart shaped prickly pear to represent love - it can prick us and bleed us, but at the same time, if you and the one you love are one in that relationship, it can protect you from outside hardships and more.

For Christmas this year, I gave a framed print of this photo to my wife Bebe along with this poem:

prickly pear (genus Opuntia)

heart shaped prickly pear

of our love reminds

first from a bud shoots

forming pads intertwined

spines to protect

from dangers without

storage of sustaining fluid

to protect from drought

flowers for beauty bearing

in the late of spring

succulent fruit hidden

nourishment to bring.

© rt tulley