What is love?

A root that stays hidden.
     The scent of corn as it bursts on the flame.
         A flower no one planted, blooming alone by the roadside.
A cloud’s shadow over thirsty soil.
             A candle burning for no reason.
         Night’s silence under stars.
     An old page filled with words.
The smell of wood just beginning to burn.
     Clay that remembers your touch.
         A caress you didn’t expect.
             A gaze that lingers longer than the day.
                 A breeze that comes when you thought you couldn’t go on.
             A delicious bite you never asked for.
         A sip of clear water.
     The song of a bird you didn’t know was there.
Clothes on the line, smelling of sun.
Earth soaked after so long.
               A door that opens slowly.
          The brush of a hand in the market.
          A dog that follows though it’s never met you.
     A pine’s shadow at noon.
A star appearing just before sleep.
         The word left unsaid—but understood.
                 A long embrace with no explanation.
The voice that softly says your name.
         A scar that no longer hurts.
                 Light slipping through the crack.
         A folded blanket in the corner.
The promise never broken.
         A flower on the hat of the dead.
                 A warm stone in the river.
         An empty chair that waits.
The sound of grinding stone before dawn.
         A song heard faintly from afar.
                 Coffee poured without asking.
         Waiting—without despair.
The memory that brings no sorrow.
     The calm after thunder.
         A soft “stay a little longer.”
             The moon descending over the granary.
                 A word written clumsily.
                     The sky smelling of uinumo.
                         A plant growing strong with no one to tend it.
Dark soil.
     The sun that warms, not burns.
         A tear that never falls.
             The silence that stays with you.
                 The baked clay.
                     Freshly baked bread.
The shining star.
             The night that holds no fear.
     The soul that never leaves.