Love poem | How do you show someone you love them?

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How do you explain to someone you love,
that you love them,
when they never even give it a thought?

How do you show you love them,
when they’re not looking?

How, for example, can I tell Russia
I love her, love the idea of her sense of self,
her huge expanses of territory,
her history and suffering,
when her behaviour is so dismissive, rejecting?

How can I show the elephants I love them,
fear for them,
love their intelligence and the idea of them,
huge, sentient creatures, mourning their loved ones,
helping each other?

How can I show love that acts, has agency, impact?
If only I could have told her
how important she was to me,
before that deluge submerged her in history
when I wasn’t looking.

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