Summer of Love

Chapter 12: LOVE’S THOROUGHFARE

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About This Book

A compact collection of lyrical poems that celebrates romantic devotion, natural imagery, and spiritual yearning, blending playful fairyland pieces, meditative prayers, and occasional urban portraits. The poet favors traditional verse forms such as villanelles and ballades and mixes classical and religious allusion with sensuous descriptions of gardens, moonlight, and birds. Short narrative ballads and elegiac tributes alternate with intimate love lyrics, producing a varied but unified mood of ardor, reverence, and pastoral charm.

LOVE’S THOROUGHFARE

As down the primrose path to Love I trod

The golden flowers kissed my eager feet,

The wayside trees with singing birds were sweet,

The summer air was like the smile of God.

“Turn back!” said one, “escape the avenging rod.

Soon thou the deathless flames of Hell shall meet.”

But I pressed on and thought of no retreat,

Till soon with fire I was clothed and shod.

But through the burning vales of Hell where flow

The molten streams of bitterest despair,

Made blind by pain I stumbled on, and lo!

I stood at last in Love’s own perfumed air.

So, having reached my journey’s end I know

That God made Hell to be Love’s thoroughfare.