Listen!

It’s been many years that the Shema prayer, which Jewish people say every day, started to call to my heart. It begins with “Listen!” and then continues with the commandment to love each other. It gives instructions for reminding ourselves of our obligation to love. This poem pushed its way into life a few weeks ago, a paraphrase of the Shema and a reminder of the most sacred, central obligation of the Abrahamic faiths: love.

Listen!

by Heather L. Rollins, February 2, 2025

Listen!
Listen up. This is your God talking.
Listen to me.
I am the Source of all.
I breathe life into you every day
when I wake you from your sleep.
I love you.

Listen!
It’s about love.
I love you.
I hope you love me.
I will never force you.
It’s not love unless it’s a choice made in freedom,
and it is your choice.
Love is your choice.

Listen! 
If you choose love,
then put your whole self into it.
Love is demanding,
and it asks everything you have
and everything that you are.
And the more love you pour out,
the more love I give you:
a flood of love too large to be contained,
abundant, extravagant, powerful.
Everything is about love.

Listen!
I know you can forget love
with the bustle of your life.
You must remind yourself:
	I am the God you chose,
	and I love you,
and I will give you all you need.
Remind yourself in the morning and in the evening: it’s about love;
tell your children and tell each other: it’s about love.
Remind yourself at home,
and remind yourself wherever you go: it’s all about love.
Put reminders in front of your eyes,
even write them on your hands: love, love, love.
Remind yourself about love when you arrive home,
and take love with you when you go out.

Listen!
It’s about love.
I need you to love each other.
I know you are forgetful,
and you’re stubborn, even stiff-necked.
The answer is always love.
	Hungry? Love them. Feed them.
	Naked? Love them. Clothe them.
	Grieving? Love them. Console them.
	Ailing? Love them. Heal them.
	Fallen? Love them. Uplift them.
	Lonely? Love them. Be with them.
	Imprisoned? Love them. Visit them. Free them.
	Ignored? Love them. See them.
	Injustice? Love them. Speak out.
	Oppression? Love them. Fight it.
Love them. Love them. Love them.
Every day, wherever you are,
the answer is always love.

Listen!
It’s about love.
It was always about love.
It will always be about love.
The answer is always love.
Listen!