Tolstoy wrote that youthful love, when <br />first it appears, <br />Holds one hostage to many fears: <br /> <br />'In being myself, will I seem <br />ridiculous? <br />What if I come off as fatuous? ' <br /> <br />In maturity, Tolstoy believed <br />First thoughts are thus: <br />'Love fills my soul with joy rapturous! ' <br /> <br />As time moves we look forward, hoping <br />When it appears, <br />Love will not find us bound by our fears. <br /> <br />Self-consciousness plagues young lovers <br />With time to waste... <br />Older ones know to savor love's taste.<br /><br />Esther Leclerc<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/tolstoy-on-love/
