A Definition of Love

Love is not some magic recipe,
of actions, shapes, or sounds.

It's not the redness of her lipstick
or the curve of her hips.
It's not careful way she pronounces syllables,
and how they are soft on the ends.
It's not how she lifts her chin,
while you run your fingers through her hair,
or the gentleness of her kisses.

It's not her careful gait
that makes it seem like she's floating.
It's not even the way that your heart gets filled up
when you see the plaque on her teeth
and the dandruff in her hair,
that tells you a million things about how she's been feeling.

Love is all of this
and none of it;
love is
what happens when you see the light and color
of her soul
and know that part of her
that has no words
to describe it.