Lesson to Learn

How can you make somebody love you?
A question which haunts like yesterday's war.
Another soldier falling—a reflection mirrored
By the blood which drips from the invisible soul.
How can you make somebody love you,
When you can't even make your heart beat for you.

Is there a trick behind the riddle of a simple four-letter word?
Slide down the L, jump through the hOop, there's a switch
Hidden somewhere in the V. Click it on. You'll find mE.
Should such a gift be viewed as a challenge? A puzzle?
Lets scramble the pieces and start again...
One by one, we see what was missing in the end.

How can you make somebody love you?
Is like asking how to make a mute bird sing.
Can you teach a melody to a heart which doesn't want to hum?
Can you grow a rose in soil, aged and no longer youthful?
How can you make somebody love you,
When the eyes on the heart no longer wish to see.

Perhaps a recipe would be more suited to the cause?
The right ingredients which illuminate all the right charms.
Mix correctly. Set on low temperature and let it burn.
Once the steam starts rising, may the aroma fill the world.
May your love come running to you, tricked and alarmed.
Are you pleased by the lackluster smile? Does it fill you with joy?

How can you make somebody love you?
Might as well try to tame the twinkling of the stars.
Can you call the name of the wind and have it come running?
Do apples bend from the trees at a whim of your hand?
How can you make somebody love you,
A fruitless attempt in the end.

Chains and locks may keep a body from running,
But a soul will slip between the cracks and flee.
A trapped heart is a dying heart,
Slowly forgetting the melody of how to beat.
Flirtatious eyes may provoke temporary satisfaction,
But in the mind, another name is calling.

How can you make somebody love you?
The answer is you can't.
A heart cannot be forced to beat for one--
Its own path it must take.
Only in the power of two hearts finding sanctuary
In the timed tempo of their beat
Can love be settled—comforted and safe.

You can't drown a sapling in water,
In hopes it'll grow fast.
You can't hold a bird in your hands,
And expect it not to fly.
A promise of a love does not mean
Love will be returned.
A chance in this life--
A lesson we all have to learn.