What is love explained to a space alien

One day
a spaceship landed
near Sam Adam’s house
In Berkeley, California

and a tall alien,
dressed in a silver uniform
accompanied
by three shorter aliens
came to his house.

They told him
they were
conducting a survey
of the earth,

You can call me Paul,
and they are Tom, Maria, and Theresa,
you can't pronounce our real names.

Paul went on to say,
they had some questions
for Sam Adams

they had picked him
because they considered
him a subject matter expert,
on the topic of love.

which was one
of the five things,
that they could not understand
about humanity.

no one else
among the one million
intelligent species,
had such a concept.

In most cultures, there are marriages
and most people are bisexual
and group marriages are the norm

and love is merely sexual attraction
and most people pick their partners
from computer-generated links

For we have figured it all out
it is simply matching attractions
And computers can figure that out
Not a big deal at all.

But you persist in denying
that love is nothing but
a chemical DNA thing.
designed to promote
Having and carrying babies.

explain to me
since you are considered
the most romantic man
in the world,

what is love?

Sam asked
what were the other issues
that they did not understand?

They said,

Donald Trump
and US and global politics,
Gun Violence,
Climate Change.

Sam told them
that they would discuss
these issues later over a beer.

when they got to the Cosmos Bar
Sam introduced them to the owner
And ordered drinks.

The owner said
Space aliens drinking in my bar.
Why not?
And served them their drinks
On the house she said.

The aliens said,
let's start with love,
tell us what this thing is
you called love?

Sam Adams answered
it comes down to this
Love is mysterious
love is magic.

there is a certain Zen element
to love
a certain Taoist element as well
to it as well.

those who can define it
have never experienced it
and those who have experienced it
can never describe it.

Love is what it is
And sometime
It is what it’s ain’t.

One cannot define it
But you know it
When it happens.

one can say a few things
love happens
when you least expect it.

love creeps up on you
Love happens
when you are washing dishes
drinking wine.

dancing at a club
making love
for the first time
or the 10,000th time,

and every time
is different
then the time before.

love happens when you give up
searching for love,
waiting for love,
wishing for love,
wishing for the one.

then one day
the one walks out
of your dreams,
and into your life
becoming your spouse.

He told them
One day, my spouse
was berating me

for all my myriad faults
all my sins against her

my omissions and commissions
malfeasance and misfeasance
things I had done
and things I had failed to do

all of which I acknowledge
and apologized for
but finally, I had enough

I said

Well, if I am so bad
so horrible
so evil a creature
and a person you hate
so much,

why
did you marry me?

she laughed,

“Temporary insanity
and I am still insane.
thirty-nine years later”.

we both laughed
and fell in love
again

as always
we fall in love
with each other
every day
every moment
every second
we see each other.

it dawned on Sam
He had the answer
to the question

Told the Space aliens,

“And that my friends
is the true unknowable madness
the true Zen spirit of love.

the lead alien said
Well, that was interesting
and I think we begin
to understand you all
a bit more.

you are indeed
the most interesting people
in the whole universe.

and have the best beer
whiskey and coffee
in the known universe.

And they talked all night long
discussing everything
Sam tried to answer their questions
But he so many for them as well.

they told Sam about the universe
and our place in it
and their plans for us.

The bartender had alerted
The media
Who showed up,

The aliens did an interview
And said that Sam had explained
The greatest mystery of humanity
What is love?

And they said
We will be back soon
Tell your leaders
To expect us.

We want to import
Your coffee, liquor
Beer and wine.

And Sam,
Next time the drinks
Are on us.

We will bring you
Some of our liquor
For you to sample.

And for the Cosmos Bar
To import.