love is her teacher

beyond parents
and grandparents
beyond school or
higher learning
beyond friends’
gentle reminders
and life’s
rugged lessons—
love is her teacher

a thread that guides
her out of the maze
or a pinpoint of light
declaring distance
like markers left
in the wild or wisdom
uncovered in books
love teaches her

it isn’t outside
and can’t ever be lost
nearer than near
prior even to breath
underlying each feeling
thought or sensation
closer than the pulse
in her neck vein
love is her teacher

2022 ©Amrita Skye Blaine
I’m writing a poem a day. These are drafts—not final versions.