Murray Dunlap’s most recent poem to appear here was “Exquisite Slumming” (January 2019).

The Truth about Love
By Murray Dunlap

At times, we stammer
About this and that, and end with ‘I love you’
At times, we mean it
But mostly, we go through the motions
We take comfort in repetition
The words fall from our tongue
Like rain

At other times, we stammer still
But are moved to think
Brain cells complete the circle
The deeper the angst, the deeper the truth
The revelation
Genuine love that enriches our soul

In time, we complete the circle
We read one another’s heart
And love