He tries to soothe my heart with pretty words,
But many have come before with much prettier
And all balk at the sign of work-
You need effort and action to make love work,
Love cannot sustain on love alone.

But oh, how pretty are words as a salve,
A balm so easy given, as thought to mouth
I'll be sure to reread them once we're out-
You need more than empty promises to stay in love
Love cannot sustain on love alone

And yes, as a young poet,
I fell for gentle wordsmiths
Who felled me so swift with a note and a sonnet
If I'd had more care, I'd never have bought it
For love, truly love, cannot sustain on love alone.