Poem August 3, 1998 Issue

LUST VERSUS LOVE

Cynthia Clague

Lust is a taking and a forcing.
Love is a giving and a receiving.

Lust requires a person or action outside oneself for satisfaction.
Love is already satisfied. 

Lust is a selfish emotion.
Love is a selfless state of being.

Lust is a craving.
Love is a nourishment.

Lust promises happiness but always disappoints.
Love promises happiness and gives more than we asked for or thought of.

The more lust you have, the less fulfillment you have.
The more love you have, the greater your fulfillment. 

Lust is behind all the world's wars.
Love has impelled its reconciliations. 

Lust is human will.
Love is divine will. 

Lust makes one powerless in its presence.
Love bestows all power on its possessor. 

Lust wants to master, but in the end makes its possessor a servant.
Love wants to serve, and in the end gives its possessor dominion.

Cynthia Clague
Eugene, Oregon

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August 3, 1998

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