August 4, 2007
To Denise
Our Time
_______
Nineteen years
When we first met,
A hill we found
That we did set.
Around that hill
We did make,
A fence of wood
That’s kept us safe.
And in the centre
Of our mound,
A tree did grow
Up from the ground.
A tree that we
Did raise with love,
That shelters us
From storms above.
Over our hill
The sun has woke
And in short time
Twilight has broke.
And under our tree
We have lain,
Watching day & night
Wax and wain;
During long summers
We watched Monarchs fly,
Around our heads
Under Heaven’s eye;
In the cold of night
When the Sun was misplaced,
Flasks of light
Have kept us safe.
Under betroth
A decade ago,
Juliet’s mansion
Became our own.
Our shelter of walls,
Roof, and doors,
Has been our castle
Between the wars.
It’s kept us safe
From the winter wind,
And given us the strength
To face the world.
And in that mansion
Built of love,
We are close
As hand in glove.
Sometimes by day
We close the blinds,
They’re the times
We want to hide.
Other times
We set them aside,
To find what lies
Beyond our eyes
.And now and then
The world we could see,
Was not as nice
As it could be.
Those times were hard
We could have split,
Yet we’ve stuck together
Through thin and thick.
And now the heavens
Have moved with zeal,
A new life we see
That we can feel.Joy!
A rose is planted
On our hill,
And now we find
A life to fill.
Our rose we’ll feed
And water well,
So day by day
She will excel.
And with a fair wind
Behind our shroud,
Our baby ‘ll grow
To make us proud.
Yet, alas, some day
We’ll have run our race,
And we’ll cross the fence
To a distant place.
And on that hill
Our child we’ll depart,
With love in mind
And love in heart.
And that mansion
That we did build,
Will always be strong
To shelter our child.