(20) Kierkegaard's Works of Love—Prayer
“O spirit of love, you who take nothing for your own but remind us of that sacrifice of love, remind the believer to love as he is loved, and his neighbor as himself!”+
The acts of love claim no compensation
He says in his opening prayer
Love's granted by God's dispensation
It's a gift we need receive with care
Love is not a negotiation
There is no buy and sell
It asks for sincere self-renunciation
That comes from love itself
Love is narrowed by our human language
But love is in all true actions
Without that love, we can do great damage
Or make love a mere distraction
Love of neighbor is all inclusive
There are no exceptions
It is not a thought that is selective
Such love makes clear direction
When I say I love you, what do I mean?
Do I speak solely of your body?
Can I love more than you seem?
Or are my feelings shoddy?
Can our love rise and suggest
Something that is far more bold?
Return to love's quality that we oft repress
Then I love you as a soul
When we accept true love, it's God we essential seek
No matter if done passively
Through our love, the divine will speak
And will do so very actively