AN OLD VALENTINE

I loved you in that long ago world when love was
white-horsed knights and elven princes.
I loved you when Mama’s dress dragged on the floor behind me
and got tangled in her size-eight pumps.
I loved you when on coltish legs I ran through summer fields
at twilight and love was still a mystery.

And oh, I loved you in that first real kiss,
when callow lips met innocence.
And though I did not know you then,
I loved you.

Then, when heart and mind resolved upon one man;
when the one I’d loved so long
Became the one I would love forever,
Our love proved strong.
Stronger than the things we did not share;
stronger than the sorrows that sought to tear us down.

My love for you grew deep
and divided until it brought forth new life.
And, as we nourished those lives we had created,
our love reached all the way from bedrock to heaven

Our love grew deep and sure.
It did not sing romantic arias,
but whispered instead in midnight lullabies
and everyday smiles.

Now our love is still;
like the moon-touched surface of a quiet lake.
I love you now in the sunset times
as life slips quickly by.
The love that looked for white-horsed knights
has found her care-worn prince.
And as our children dream,
love becomes a circle.

Donna Swanson c.2009