”Tell me about love.”
I can define it,
I can recommend books,
I can list the symptoms and effects,
I can prattle off agape, philios, storge and eros.
I can recite a poem, or a sonnet by Shakespeare,
but
I
can’t
describe
it.
“Tell me about loss.”
I can see it,
I can observe it,
I can sympathize with it,
I can parrot motivational phrases,
I can list coping mechanisms and techniques,
but
I
can’t
mean
it.
“Tell me about life.”
I live it,
I know of it,
I can speak of its origins,
I can tell stories of its endings,
I can watch it go by, try to find meaning in it,
but
I
can’t
embrace
it.