Loyalty

Love is not conformity
Or based upon agreement
Or even mere opinion.
Love is not about
Doing what you're told,
Or what is best for you.
Love is not precluded
By different beliefs or thoughts
Or heated argument.
Love goes beyond that,
To something bigger
And soul-encompassing -
Love is knowing
I love you,
Even when I'm angry,
Even when I hate what you say or do,
Even when I wish you'd just go away,
For just that moment,
When rash feelings cloud out the truth.
Love is loyalty;
Not in the sense
That you or I do
What the other mandates,
But that it exists
Despite not matching up,
In spite of our differences.
It is saying
My loyalty goes deeper
Than mere opinion,
Deeper,
Than what you say or do or think,
It is saying
That you don't have to be in my image
For me to love you.
It is saying
That I will always love you
Despite disparity.
And that
Is what I love most
About this family.