Awesome love

Was reading ASBO Jesus today and came across a reference to the following poem. I did a bit of cyber hunting and found it here. It's a poem about love, about God's love...

BTW the cartoon on ASBO Jesus is pretty cool too.

"... There are so many kinds of awesome love,
I bless them all:

Love of kindred for their kin
Love of lover for their mate
Love of country for the native
Love of land for the explorer

Love of the labourer for his work
Love of the scholar for her truth
Love of the artist for the muse
Love of the preacher for the word
Love of the disciple for the way
Love of the mystic for their God

There are so many kinds of awesome love,
We need them all:

Love of the beloved, love of the friend,
Love of the stranger, love of the needy

Love of the woman for the man
Love of the man for the woman
Love of woman for her woman
Love of the man for his man

There are so many kinds of awesome love,
Why must we set one above the other,
Say some are worthy and other base?
Why must we choose one love
When we need all the kinds we can get?

There are so many kinds of awesome love:
The love that knocks you off your feet
and sets you to desperate things
The love that is gentle and kind
and swells the compassionate heart
The love that is joyous and life-giving
and keeps you singing for days
The love that is steadfast and loyal
and sits out long nights of pain

Young, jocular love
Old, wise love
Rich, extravagant love
Poor, pitiful love
Strong, encouraging love
Vulnerable, wounded love
Passionate, sensual love
Free, philial love
Fiery, prophetic love
Self-emptied, contemplative love

There are so many kinds of awesome love,
I bless them all ..."

"So Many Kinds of Awesome Love"
by Nicola Slee