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Maybe If I Loved You More

Dedication

To my brother, Bob, who died
this year and left an
irreplaceable void.

To Rene

To those who finally understand
that without love, life
means nothing.

Maybe If I Loved You More 
(Paperback - 1990)

These passionate, lyrical poems confront forces that numb our senses and corrupt our values.  Kavanaugh challenges us to be fully human, to move past private fears to simplicity and joy:  “So much of life is spent trying to prove something…Maybe if I loved you more, I wouldn’t have to prove anything!”

So much of life is spent trying to prove something.  It begins in childhood and never seems to end.  Trying to prove we're bigger or stronger, better or richer or smarter.  Trying to prove that we deserve someone's love.  But feeling secretly that we don't.

MAYBE IF I LOVED YOU MORE, I wouldn't have to prove anything.

So much of life is spent in fear,  From the simple dares of childhood to the complex ones of the adult.  Fear of failure, fear of losing a job or ending a relationship, fear of marriage or divorce, fear of sickness or aging, fear of love or death.

MAYBE IF I LOVED YOU MORE, I wouldn't have to be afraid.

So much of life is spent in isolation.  From the lonely daydreams of a child to the unuttered secrets of an adult.  Isolated in our dreams, in our thoughts, in the midst of a crowd, isolated especially in our anxieties and hurts and private rages.

MAYBE IF I LOVED YOU MORE, 1wouldn't have to feel alone.

So much of life is spent in guilt.  From the first sadness in a parent's eye to the tears of a lover.  Guilt over working too hard or not hard enough, guilt over loving too much or not enough.  Guilt over children that love us and those that don't.  Guilt over money or God or our most satisfying dreams.

MAYBE IF I LOVED YOU MORE, I wouldn't have to feel guilty.

So much of life is spent in an effort to be loved.  We beg for it from infancy.  We struggle to please everyone, parents, teachers, neighbors, anyone who seems important.  We do it all our lives. Success becomes the measure of our worth.  Even the simplest failure can mean that we are not really lovable.

MAYBE IF I LOVED YOU MORE,
                                           Finally I would be loved!"



Product Details
  • Paperback: 84 pages
  • Publisher: Steven J. Nash Publishing (December 1990)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1878995049
  • ISBN-13: 978-1878995049
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 0.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces