Love American Style

Love is a word tossed

flat as a Frisbee

while we trade in

rom-coms, soap operas

and dance-worthy pop songs

either saccharine or lusty.

But what does true love look like?

It is verb, not noun:

It is the stranger fed

housed and clothed

Good Samaritan-style

no drumroll please

nothing fancy, simply

good old-fashioned caring

for a neighbor, defined as

another, anyone hungry

or in need of a hug

no translation required.

Love is never caged, fenced

or barbwired

neither is America First

a slogan

you’ll ever find

in a kingdom

soaked in the crimson

of a sacrificial love

that sent a savior

to the cross.

Love pulls its boots on

steps out into

the muck of the world

hands outstretched

asking, as God calls us to

What can I do to help?

Mark 12:30–31, Matthew 22:36–40