‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres.’ – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I wrote that passage, just like Denzel appropriating the 23rd Psalm in The Book of Eli. Many moons ago, we saw that at the cinemas. Kidding aside, I included that biblical verse in my recently published poetry collection. To get a clearer picture, we will dissect each phrase. At uni, we called that decontextualising. Picking the discourse apart, bit by bit.

‘Love is patient, love is kind.‘

This shows that love endures. It can wait for decades and can last generations. Love is timeless and benevolent. It has no expiry or best before date. It is far from transcient and not ephemeral. It could potentially last longer than a thousand mayflies. It can cross timelines and oceans. It can even conquer language barriers or ‘launch a thousand battleships’.

Friendships and dates come and go. Classmates, colleagues, and gurus a dime a dozen. Novels are read and forgotten. Love, whether romantic or familial, never fades. Whether you’re Romeo and Juliet or an aging grandfather, ‘Age is just a number’.

Love is the universal langauge.

‘It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.’

The green-eyed monster has no space in amour. Neither does braggadocio. In this case, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’

It is more than alma mater spirit or team colours. Bigger than the Beatles and sturdier than the Great Wall.

The world doesn’t have to hear about your affection. If someone feels and recognises your love, grand gestures are only the cherry on top.

Regardless, songs have been penned by artists like Billy Joel, Paramore, and Vance Joy. They unveiled about their emotions and passions. Jose Rizal immortalised his great love, Leonor Rivera, in Noli. Da Vinci painted his muse in La Jaconde (Mona Lisa). In the past, did Topher do the same?

‘It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.’

Love is not selfish. It is not volatile like the stock market. Nor temperamental like a dog’s runny tummy. It does not demand complete submission. Not easily derailed nor cowed. It does not discriminate. It keeps no running tally like a tennis match or basketball game. Nor a scoreboard of infractions. It is unashamed and unegostitical. It does not embarass or knowingly hurt you.

‘Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ‘

Doing evil is independent of love. The latter douses wrongdoing and offsets hurt. It finds no joy in wrongdoing but bloooms in righteousness. Amour is never a lie. Deceit holds no place in its realm. There is never a day when malfeasance coexists with love.

These are not platitudes. This biblical excerpt may have been deployed through the centuries. Like its message, many will find a connection among those wise words.

I’ve recently published my first poetry collection, titled Musings. It can be purchased via this link:

Musings Poems Selected and New