#0069

There's the rush of celebration
And the end of what has been
The last days you are single
Are the longest you have seen!

Finally, the day you longed for
Here it comes - - - and there it went
And all of a sudden it's just us two...
...and we have to pay the rent!

How does it all measure up to
What we expected it to be?
"You do the cooking and I'll wash up"
What happened to you and me?!

I have to do the ironing.
You have to hover the floor.
I have to move my shoes away
'Cause they're blocking our front door.

Our marriage was what we wanted
And yet it's full of these "Have tos"
So tell me, if you could pick again,
What would you really choose?

"Single life was easy -
I was responsible for one.
Two is much more difficult"-
"So, I suppose I should get gone."

It's easy just to laugh at it
But do we really see
That the challenge of the life of two
Makes us who we want to be?

The wedding day was fun, of course,
It went the way it should
But it's the quiet acts of kindness
That make our marriage really good.

Is it simply a nice lifestyle?
A source of companionship?
A feeling that someone will be there
When you've got an arthritic hip?

The answer still comes booming out
Despite the things we face
There's something in our marriage
That worlds could not replace.

Maybe it's the way you smile
When we're cuddling at night;
Or the fact my family love you
And they think I got it right!

I think the answer comes to us
From a place we once called home
Where our promises are written
While on this earth we roam.

Some may say it's heaven sent
And that may be true
It's heaven we are bound to go
But not me without you.

So,
You do the cooking and I'll wash up
Because it's hand in hand
That we will reach much higher
As together we make our stand.

Then... a rush of celebration
And the start of time together,
The last day of our mortal life
Is the first day of forever!

#0068

I've been in love too many times
To say my heart is whole
But I don't regret an instant
As through these times I've grown.
Yes, it's caused me heartache
I've lost many along the way
But I can say I'm gratified
To be who I am today.
My eyes were blind to what was real
Too many times to discuss
I reached out for any friend
To be him and I, never 'us'.
I tried to enclose those I loved
In arms that held them tight
Yet I always designed to let them go
When the time was right.
Perhaps I've caused much pain
Along my crooked path
But be that as it may
I remember all the times we'd laugh.
Raise a glass to freedom
To choice, to memories
And drink that down with wedded bliss
Promised upon your knees.
I've been in love one real time,
This is the one that counts!
My heart has taken shape and now
It's yours, by all accounts.

#0067

"Do you see this?- Here?"
Excited gestures to the screen
As the coral mound becomes more visible
A quick flick of the tube,
Ignoring the flesh attached,
And there it is.
"This is exactly what you see in the bladder usually...
when there's cancer."

I should be interested, and I am,
But as I stare in the darkness
At the screen that predicts fate
I'm suddenly lying on that couch
With a voice booming over me.
"There's Cancer."

I splutter, shocked,
But he lies still.
I realise age has been kind
His hearing is gone.
But he's heard the word before.
"Cancer."

I look at his body, filled with pity.
Objectively, the doctor tells me it is superficial-
it can be cut out- just a short dose of chemo-
it will not shorten his life-
He's 86.

"Mr X", the doctor shouts,
"We've found a cause for your bleeding. Cancer."
"Cancer?"
"Yes"- he explains that they will cut it out-
just a short dose of chemo-
it will not shorten his life-

At 86 years old he shuffles out of the room
Stick in hand. I watch him go.
Shoulders lower than before,
Succumbing bit by bit...
Prostate, Bones, Bladder, Shoulders...
Expressions, demeanour.
His life expectancy hasn't changed while
His expectations of life lowered.

#0066

Secrets hide beneath your skin.
The greater part of you remains hidden
Under decorative flesh
Wrapping, protecting the secrets you keep.
A still blanket over an ants' nest.
If only we could peal it back
Testing the machinery
Stripping you down
To analyse every function
And improve the efficiency-
Correct the malfunction;
Save the hardware.
Would we?

#0065

At first glimpse there was intrigue
So in our first moment of introduction
There was a hesitance and anticipation
As if with baited breath
The universe paused for the reaction
To this encounter.
If reaction there was,
It passed silently by
And I left with my heart untouched,
My world unchanged.
You created a new opportunity
And as your lips touched mine
My world twisted and expanded,
Forming a perfect place
For you to inhabit.
You shaped and molded it
Adjusting it to suit you perfectly.
I became more and more convinced
That these alterations were permanent.
I floated down the river you created
Fearful of treacherous rocks or crocodiles
Looking out for a cliff edge.
You seemed to whisper constantly
Reassuring me in words I couldn't comprehend
But my heart held hope
And you were my champion.
I committed myself
Even to the waterfall, if that was our end.
Your river gaped forming a lake;
Still and serene
With beauty I'd never imagined
That I became accustomed to.
Here I stay, exploring coves
And finding beaches
Discovering all the time new wonders.

#0064

Transcendent light
With clouds raising me
Rest in the silent air
As the world swirls and tugs
Eyes closed- no room here for that
Only space, without time
A room full of mirrors
Muse on the reflected image
No ownership of the identity
The tick of the clock loses meaning
As every limb bear its weight
Floating upward
Toward eternal timelessness
A beauty beyond mortal comprehension

#0063 in iambic pentameter

The moment when you see me first in white,
A spark will shine in your eyes, catching mine,
A dream fulfilled- now all the world feels right
And to your heart I'll lovingly incline.
As we promise now to love and cherish,
We'll speak eachothers' names in fulness there,
For nothing greater could I ever wish,
Than to know that I'm always in your care.
To the temple we will reverently go,
Covenanting as we kneel together,
We will feel the Holy Spirit and know,
That as we live, we may live forever.
All the days from this our love will increase
Through His glorious plan; and never cease.