Not you
Eyes done up in blues
Lips accented to pout
Words chosen to impress
Days spent scheming
Shifty nonverbal
Lazy mornings
Evenings ablaze
Yuk yuk yuk
Strong scent in the air
Colorful language
Flowery metaphors
Bastion of facts
Looking past a person
Giddy with joy at life
You
Giver of the perfect gifts
Hard looks
Guffaws at pratfalls
Reliable witness
Credible source
Capable professional
Receptive listener
Tireless defender of the defensible
No patience for the guilty
Grudge holder
Loyal to the loyal
Face recognition warrior
Workman-like approach
Down in the trenches
Considerate to a fault
Loved
I grant you that
I grant you that you are the first to say I am there for you
The first to accept what must be done
Ready when needed
To be honest and on your guard for lies
I grant you that you see the world through gray glasses
Through a prism that somehow does not create a rainbow
Going down with the ship
Holding the hands of others as they board the life boats
I grant you that you are beyond reproach
When it’s a question of heart
A question of faith
A matter of life and death
O the days we have spent
We have been together 14,610 days
Forty percent of a hundred-year war
Forty percent of a hundred-year peace
The same number of nights
As the earth rotates east
The sun heads west
And another one is gone
That is what is recorded
Spins of a planet with us aboard
We count them
Calendar them
So we can point to future ones
And those in the past
We hold up some as special
We forget most
There are so many
We spend them like money
The bank account is not as full as it was
Our Skin
The first few times our skins touched
I thought mine would melt
Yours was soft
It was smooth
It was cool here and warm there
It was dry in places and moist in others
I could not stop thinking of the feeling
For days
I can still recall it now
I recall it when we are going to sleep
When you make me laugh
When I make you cry
Even when I made you throw up that one time
They say it’s an organ
The biggest one of all
No Hammond B Three
This is you and me
On to the next one
Thoughts flow in a channel
Like so many brooks
Memories lay on a panel
Like pages in books
I can see you rising up
And lying back down
You drinking from a cup
And lowering it with no sound
Pictures of your caring face
On my phone or the wall
It’s hard for me to keep pace
My thoughts seem to stall
One minute I am sure
The next I am not
Now my thoughts are pure
Then they turn to rot
Histories of us
Must include
Me causing a fuss
And me being rude
If anyone knows
If anyone knows of a reason
These two should not wed
Speak now
Or forever hold your peace
Forever, as it turns out, is a long time
Especially to remain silent
On something so important
As the union of two souls
Perhaps the preacher should give equal time
Perhaps he should say
Speak now if you would like to affirm
Why this couple is right for this world
If anyone knows of a reason
This couple might make the world better
Might stump the naysayers
Might deliver on the great promise of marriage
Speak now
In peace
In the News
Since we exchanged vows
Kentucky won it all
Three-mile island had a meltdown
Carter lost the White House
Reagan was elected
Hostages were held and released
Air-traffic controllers were fired
Tylenol was lace with poison
Kentucky had a second-half meltdown
Reagan was re-elected
Bhopal had a disaster
Uncle Bill died
Roger died
The space shuttle Challenger Exploded
No new taxes
Father Bush became President
The boys died in the fire
Reds won the 1990 World Series
Christian Laettner happened
Clinton won the White House
Kentucky went to the 1993 Final Four
We left UNCA
We left WCU
We arrived in Jackson
The Macarena happened
You went to work at DSCC
Kentucky won it all in 1996
Kentucky almost won it all in 1997
JR had a heart attack
Lady Di died
Kentucky won it all in 1998
Stephanie graduated
I was tenured
Bush was given the White House by the Supreme Court
September 11 happened
Your mom died
I left my office at Lambuth
The space shuttle Columbia exploded over Texas
The Afghan War began
The Iraq War began
Bush was re-elected
You had your wreck on November 19 2004
Nathan came to live with us
I was made full professor
We went to England
I carried the sign saying I love you, in the marathon
Dad died
I went to China
Stephanie and I went to England and France
We went to Cancun for our 30th
Uncle William died
Barack Obama became the 44th president
Bill Clinton became vegan
I read the China Study
I became vegan
The documentary Forks over Knives was released
Stephanie went to Skagway
We went to Skagway
Stephanie went back to Skagway
Barack Obama was re-elected
Stephanie went to Glacier Bay
We saw Michael Buble in St Louis
We went to Glacier Bay
Stephanie went to Vermont
We went to Vermont
Stephanie went back to Glacier Bay
Stephanie went to Glacier
We went to Glacier
Stephanie went to Del Rio
Stephanie went to Olympic
We went to Olympic
Stephanie went back to Del Rio
We went to Del Rio
Hillary lost the horrible election
Mom died
Stephanie went to Michigan
We went to Michigan
We are going to see Straight No Chaser for the 4th
time, tomorrow
We are celebrating our 40th anniversary Sunday, with
a trip yet to be determined
We are still together despite a few big setbacks
Congratulations!
