Scene:
Late fall, on a country road too seldom travelled
An old man in his late 80's sits alone on his front porch.
His only companion a journal his great grandson gave him.
“The BOY” had come by that morning to say goodbye.
One last hug and handshake before heading back to college.
“Smart Aleck probably thinks I’ll die before he comes this way again”
The old man thought to himself with a chuckle.
Opening the journal for the first time… It’s inside cover reads
"Cause Grandpa STILL tells the best stories…"
He smiles at the reading
A twinkle in his eyes
Wondering what story he should BEGIN the journal with
His soul suddenly answers…
His tired eyes wet as his heart reminisces
About the one who helped him BEGIN IT ALL
And the times that they spent together
Putting pen to page he gets lost in his own recollection.
The Beginning…
I share with you an open soul
And shed a tear for days of old
In their divers unresting ways they hold
The beginning of the whole
Thirteen years ago I lost my wife, my only friend and companion.
She was my life… My love…
I met her when we were both young, just kids really.
She was so beautiful, like a dream enslaved by a kiss, truly lovely.
She had a smile that could warm any heart
And eyes that set peace within my soul.
But there was a sadness in her beauty.
Her parents has passed years prior leaving her alone
And not of much means, and they being her only relatives left not a single friendly soul… 'Cept one.
I can recall one certain night, as we watched the stars fall from the sky.
She gave me a smile, you know…
The kind one uses to cover a broken heart…
And for the first time I noticed the emptiness deep inside her
And it hit me. The single most important thought I ever had…
A woman and a man…Open and vulnerable to each other… No games… No lies…
Just truth… Just love
In that moment I made my mind up to let her know how I felt and
How I still feel to this day.
So that very evening after I took her home I wrote her this poem…
"My Hearts Song Recited"
The moon and stars in vast sky united
All the earth beneath them lighted
Captivated in our moment the heavens delighted
Your eyes giving birth to a love requited
For in your eyes GODS grace displayed
In all its splendor fully arrayed
All that creation would serenade
And beckon its children to crusade
Across barren land or angry sea
By hoof by wing or bended knee
In pursuit of knowledge and eternity
Found in your eyes like sunrise waking new life in me
Eden… The Garden… found as night gave way to dawn
Intoxicated by what I saw my eyes did feast upon
Your loving cup those lips like wine the sine qua non
Of paradise renewed where one might drink love itself
Becoming its Adon.
Not long after we were married.
We spent many a moonlight dancing and singing songs of love.
We reveled in a world of beauty… the sun, the moon, the stars.
My wife was indeed compassion captured in sweet caress,
Like the gift of a single rose…
But now I’m by myself and all alone.
Yet I smile because I know
Not even fate can keep us apart…
This dance we share will never fade away…