Sonnet 154

It is normally really hard for me to have a reaction to Shakespearean sonnets. But, with all these kids around me saying “I love you” and not really meaning it - it got a little fire going. So sit back and listen to me vent. A lot of Shakespeare’s poems are about love, and to be honest, very few if any high school students can relate to love – none of them know what it really is.

Sonnet 154 is about Cupid falling asleep and a fairy coming in the night and stealing his arrows of love. But the idea of the poem is that love is a fire that even water can’t put out. You can’t tell someone who to love or who not to love. That is pretty much all I know about love--that and what I see every day between my parents. I see love is hard and it takes work. And it seems to me that you must remember everyday why you love that person, otherwise love fades. I look to three things to learn about love; my parents, the Bible, and The Notebook. I seek answers from my mom if I have questions about how I should ask a girl out, where we should go to dinner, things like that. But I believe the best answer on what love actually is comes from the Bible. It says love is patient, kind and does not grow angry. I think if you really love someone these characteristics will shine through but that doesn’t mean it will be perfect. This is where the ultimate love story and one of my favorites comes in-The Notebook. Noah and Ali argued all the time and Noah said it best, “It’s what we do! You tell me when I’m being an arrogant son of a b**** and I tell you when you’re being a pain in the a**!” Love takes work by both parties every day. And to be honest I don’t think high school kids know what it really takes or know what it really means to love someone and care for them “in sickness and in health.” That’s why it is so annoying and frustrating to me when all these girls say “ Love you!” and the guys say it back just because that’s what the girl wants to hear. They don’t love each other- if they think they do it’s simply puppy love. Love and hate are two strong words. High school kids throw love around like it’s “hi” or “goodbye.” But it’s not. Date someone for a year and that means you probably love them, maybe not even then. And I’ll be damned if some of these kids could keep a goldfish alive for at least a year, much less a relationship.