Another Love Poem!

22 September 2026

(12 February 2016) In honor of those who have ever, or are now, been in love, we share one of our love poems, from Words Fail, a poem titled “Compl(i/e)ment”:

Compl(i/e)ment

To compliment she
who complements is to praise
his lack,
for she from abundance
fills his lack as he
from abundance fills
her lack.

Both
from abundance fill
lack opens to pain
for filling lack from abundance
causes pain–
both open their lack
recognize
lack filled from another’s
abundance.

In praising we recognize–
recognition
admits lack to admit
abundance
from another compliments
lack complements lack
completes
both fills
one.

English has many words like “compliment/complement” that sound the same but have distinct meanings. In this case, I played with the notion of how these two words are like two sides of the coin–not opposites but “complementary,” one completing the other. Good reading! Get this collection from your preferred ebook store, or in print from the link provided.