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When You Say I Love You

Wallace Dean LaBenne

When you say I Love You what does it really mean?
Is it deeply heartfelt
or mindless routine?

When you say I Love You what does it stipulate?
Is it sturdy promise
or mere carnal bait?

When you say I Love You what does it represent?
Is it empty babble
or informed consent?

When you say I Love You what does it symbolize?
Is it happy union
or mock compromise?

When you say I Love You what does it register?
Is it wobbly fledgling
or chiefly mature?

When you say I Love You what does it manifest?
Is it rightly complete
or return request?

When you say I Love You what does it signify?
Is it precisely true
or bad-mannered lie?
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Submitted on May 01, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
4

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXA BXB CXC DXD XXX EXE FXF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 603
Words 121
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
Full analysis for When You Say I Love You »

Wallace Dean LaBenne

Professor, therapist, author and poet. more…

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    "When You Say I Love You" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 21 Sep. 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/90939/when-you-say-i-love-you>.

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