She says "Cupid is irresponsible."
I say "I think he lost my address."
She says "Love hurts."
I say "So do life and death."
She says "I've been in love so often I feel like cupid's been using me for target practice."
I say "I can count how many times I've been in love on an amputee's stump."
She says "I feel bad for you."
I ask "Why?"
She says "Because love is worth it."
I say "I have love."
I say "I have known love that does not fade,
The love between parents and children."
I say "I have known a love both reliable and invisible
The love between true friends."
She says "It's not the same."
I ask "How is it different?"
She says "My love is like a volcano, all passion and warmth. It comes from deep inside you and flies. It flies higher than either of us ever could."
She says "Your love is like a coal. Always there to keep you warm, but it'll never fly or burn like my lava."
I say "Your lava crashes and cools. But so long as someone's there my coal will always burn."
I say "People run from your lava, but they gather around my coal."
She says "But you can't form an island with coal."
I say "You're right."
"Aha!" She exclaims. Thinking she's got me.
"But wait." I say
I tell her "I intend to find your love. To find that lava and ride it, and I know no matter what I do I can never truly prepare for it, but that doesn't mean I won't try."
I say "I want that love you speak of."
"But" I tell her "the only way to survive a volcano is to prepare. To strap down all your possessions and to get a gas mask."
She laughs at me and with a wild look in her eyes she says "Then how do you enjoy the ride?"
I smile and say "Not as much as you, but I can stay on that ride forever."
She stops for a moment and looks at me.
As I get down one knee
and ask
"Will you marry me?
Will you show me that love you speak of,
a love of beauty, passion and rage."
and with a tear in her eye
she says "Yes
I'll marry you my little sage."