Love Poem: The Power of Love
John Beharry Avatar
Written by: John Beharry

The Power of Love

Love is one of life's greatest mysteries
It is the driving force
which shapes man's destiny
It is the very foundation 
upon which life itself is built

Love leads 
life follows
Love is a way of life
One cannot detach oneself from Love
to make a decision
for Love is life itself

Throughout the ages
the power of Love 
has gripped the hearts of men
- mighty men who feared nothing
and made them powerless
to resist its spell

Kingdoms rose and fell
Armies laid others waste
and were laid waste by others
Men died in agony at the command
of a Love-infected leader 
Paris and Helen of Troy
in the Trojan war
Samson and Delilah
in the battle with the Philistines
Anthony and Cleopatra
in the Roman Civil War

Love is a potent force 
that sometimes makes fools
of Earth's mighty men of valour
And yet this same Love 
has been an instrument of good
with which nothing can compare

There are many kinds of love -
a man for his God
a man for his woman
a friend for his friend
a person for his kin
a man for his dog
- these and many more

Though the particular cases differ
the effect of Love is the same
- that feeling which inspires and drives men
to achieve things 
they once believed impossible

Many a knight fought great odds
and won for his lady
Many a man leaves his comfortable niche 
in society
and goes out to endure 
the hardship and pain
of the less fortunate
as he gives of himself unselfishly
to improve their state
because of his love for
his God, duty and ideals

History is filled with leaders
who tried to build 
and maintain an empire
with the might of brute force
and failed -
Charlemagne
Alexander The Great
Julius Caesar
Napoleon Bonaparte
Adolph Hitler

And yet
a humble carpenter of Nazareth
who shunned brute force
and violence
built an empire on Love
two thousand years ago 
and today it covers
the face of the earth