By: J.L. Lewis

Your Love

I don’t want your love,
I need your love.
Like the flower needs the tender
mercy of the bee,
like the arid stream needs the early rains
to join the river in their longing
for the sea.
I need your love,
as a drowning man who struggles
in his desperation for the shore,
and a dying one yearns another chance at life.
I need your love,
as the dark night of the soul awaits
the saving grace of dawn,
or a crying child needs the comforting
assurance of embrace.
I don’t want your love,
I need your love.

Venus Rising

Venus rises in the morning
with the scent of myrtle in her hair
and lights my world by day.
No other star in the sky outshines her.
Venus guides this weary mariner
and takes him where he needs to be.
She is the goddess of love and desire,
and a caster of charms.
Venus rises, and is
the bright and morning star.
By J.L. Lewis
Copyright 2026