Society insists that love be blind
to minor imperfections in our view.
Against too high a standard, marks unkind
can never motivate a better new.

The longing young demand that love be cure
for missing satisfactions in our growth
but innocent at last becomes mature
through gain and loss and recognizing both.

Accepting old desire that love be calm
to not disturb our mischief-making elf,
our spirit that our helpers would embalm
to leave alive what they consider self.

When self reproof is woundingly severe,
faults seen in self in others sharp appear.

- Robert Stone, 10 June 2012