Jealousy ~ A Poem by Anne Kingsmill Finch

Love Says It Has Wings—But Try Flying Out of Jealousy’s Cage

Jealousy

Anne Kingsmill Finch

VAIN Love, why do’st thou boast of Wings,
 That cannot help thee to retire!
When such quick Flames Suspicion brings,
 As do the Heart about thee fire.
Still Swift to come, but when to go
Thou shou’d’st be more–Alas! how Slow.

Lord of the World must surely be
 But thy bare Title at the most;
Since Jealousy is Lord of Thee,
 And makes such Havock on thy Coast,

As do’s thy pleasant Land deface,
Yet binds thee faster to the Place.

Source

❓

Three Reflection Questions:

1. Have you ever experienced love that felt more like a trap than a gift?
2. What does jealousy reveal about our desire to control what we fear losing?
3. Can love truly survive when suspicion is at the helm?

---

💡 

Poignant Reflection:

In just a few stanzas, Finch unveils the tragic irony of romantic love: it promises freedom and delight, but when jealousy arrives, it binds and burns. We often believe love gives us wings—but if jealousy is the wind beneath them, we fly only in circles. True love must trust; otherwise, it becomes a beautiful ruin we refuse to leave.