Prompt: write a poem of at least ten lines in which each line begins with the same word (technique called “anaphora”).
[I strayed from this in technicality, but followed the spirit of the prompt]
The Broken Road (as it were)
Oh, to love as I did at eight years old
imagined ideals
inherited from fairy tales
and projected passions
seeking any soft, youthful landing
Oh, to love with the innocence of
age thirteen
when revealing a crush
was the truest threat
and “requited” was not required
Oh, to love as completely as
eighteen and a day
with no certainty but
someday, somehow
to hold two dreams together
Oh, to love like twenty-three
cautious and patient
decisions overthought
uncertain yet unselfish
enamored in every moment
Oh, to love like the day I met you
care-freedom itself
no expectation, no agenda
and the wisdom of wanting
to give rather than receive