Love?

When people hear the word “love”,
They associate it with caring,
Caring about certain people they love,
Like their parents, siblings, spouses, and children.
They associate it with sharing,
The sharing with each other of their innermost
Thoughts and feelings.
And they associate it with security,
For, with love, a kind of guarantee comes with it ---
Security at home, within the family, at work,
And in their social lives.
But when I hear the word “love”,
I sometimes think of the times
When I was beaten and thrown around,
Literally, by someone I love,
And who is supposed to love me.
Sometimes love is blind.
But then again, how can you see love
When you have a purple and black eye,
And are in so much physical and emotional pain
That you wish you could die?
That’s just one of my questions
(that you’ve read above);
I have many more --- another is:
What, really, is love?