How Do I Love Thee? for Jesse in our 10th year.
To he, the man, with whom I spend my life
10 years through vast hills and valleys as wife
An eternity's bond, to which we belong
No greater thing than this spiritual song
For health and salvation, I toast you my love
Blessings from God, Everlasting, above
Through trenches and mountains and great golden plains
We've walked and we've talked, and shared our great pains
Thrice crossed crowns of martyrs we wear
For service and sacrifice, heavy yokes to share
With warrior's heart, and soft lilly's grace
True, noble, and precious, your loving embrace
Three times round the table, a dance, by God's hand led
Oh Isaiah! Oh Martyrs! The prayers were sung, the Scriptures read
Fruitful, be fruitful, and children shall come
A pair of them now, a smile making sum
How daringly bold, our marriage was made
How grateful am I, for our choice that we stayed
Though many did fight and give naught their blessing
No longer we toil, and cry, and keep stressing
On a cold, snowy, blizzarding day we were married
Like the glittering frost was the glee that we carried
Despite all the cold, warmth was radiated
For that day, to be had, one long anticipated
Submitting ourselves, our heads did we bow
God's grace did the work, whilst we made no vow
Our faces illumined like our candles aglow
The sun's seed sown makes the flame to grow
Though a speck in the time of eternity's length
Our roots as an oak, quite girded in strength
For Christ is the center, with care we endure
He is our foundation, our God, our rock, sure.
I bid thee my smiles, vow thee fidelity
I give you my fears, and longings to see
Holding your hand, our life will transpire
Together let us stand through lack and desire
New shoots, new branches will grow ever with time
Grand and majestic, with great sublime
With each day passing, the heart will grow all the fonder
I loved thee, I love thee, I shall love thee yonder
You give me the courage to live and to breathe
We must first be givers, for love to receive
What now is a flame, begotten as ember
Refresh the fire always, lest we not remember
Contemplate this, my dear, won't you please
The time that we sat in the rain, in the breeze
We laughed like children, all cold and all wet
Yet cherished that moment, with admiration met
Eager I am of those moments impending
They may not be perfect, but my hope I am spending
I trust how I know by the move of your brow
Whether content or elated, I should know by now
The smallest of things, how treasured they stay
Like the glint in your eye, your few hairs of grey
Pondering about the many things gone
I'll be grateful, and take the encouragement drawn
I love you for ages, for now and for ever
Maturing more always, and ceasing never
I love thee in wisdom, the Proverbs state well
Truly, how fitting, the words that they tell
My love like the sunrise, each morn made anew
The brilliantly bold, the gentle soft hue
The quiet, the stillness, the twilighted hour
The day displays on, like a blossoming flower
I love thee with fervor, with mind and with heart
How love is created, like great works of art
Carve it I will, and dapple with paint
With rhyme and with reason, loud canvas, proudly quaint
My love and my friend, for whom I've great affection
He who guardeth my honour with knightly protection
I realize how deep and how strong our connection
And greater still, after a lengthy reflection
Though sometimes it feels like a walk on ice, thin
We make it, we shake it, and take it all in
My love like the vast ocean, endless and deep
A great bottomless peace, a tranquil, dreamless sleep
Love is a choice on a daily basis
It's a real paradoxical homeostasis
An action I take, a place of being
It's faith and it's fruitful, believing before seeing
Love is patient and gentle, gracious and kind
Doesn't boast, is not rude, and rarely does it mind
You make my heart dance, you make my heart sing
It flutters here still, with the joy that you bring
Leaping or lame, whatever my state
A list of the ways that I love you, I'll slate
The list I could write would go on without end
Of love's dearest aspects, how it makes hard hearts bend
The heights and the depths, oh what a ride!
What an adventure with you by my side!
Count them, count them, the ways and the modes
The thin and the thick, the heartfelt odes
For lack of a fortune I give this poem freely
As a love's ballad, meaningful sort of soliloquy
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
To he, the man, with whom I spend my life
10 years through vast hills and valleys as wife
An eternity's bond, to which we belong
No greater thing than this spiritual song
For health and salvation, I toast you my love
Blessings from God, Everlasting, above
Through trenches and mountains and great golden plains
We've walked and we've talked, and shared our great pains
Thrice crossed crowns of martyrs we wear
For service and sacrifice, heavy yokes to share
With warrior's heart, and soft lilly's grace
True, noble, and precious, your loving embrace
Three times round the table, a dance, by God's hand led
Oh Isaiah! Oh Martyrs! The prayers were sung, the Scriptures read
Fruitful, be fruitful, and children shall come
A pair of them now, a smile making sum
How daringly bold, our marriage was made
How grateful am I, for our choice that we stayed
Though many did fight and give naught their blessing
No longer we toil, and cry, and keep stressing
On a cold, snowy, blizzarding day we were married
Like the glittering frost was the glee that we carried
Despite all the cold, warmth was radiated
For that day, to be had, one long anticipated
Submitting ourselves, our heads did we bow
God's grace did the work, whilst we made no vow
Our faces illumined like our candles aglow
The sun's seed sown makes the flame to grow
Though a speck in the time of eternity's length
Our roots as an oak, quite girded in strength
For Christ is the center, with care we endure
He is our foundation, our God, our rock, sure.
I bid thee my smiles, vow thee fidelity
I give you my fears, and longings to see
Holding your hand, our life will transpire
Together let us stand through lack and desire
New shoots, new branches will grow ever with time
Grand and majestic, with great sublime
With each day passing, the heart will grow all the fonder
I loved thee, I love thee, I shall love thee yonder
You give me the courage to live and to breathe
We must first be givers, for love to receive
What now is a flame, begotten as ember
Refresh the fire always, lest we not remember
Contemplate this, my dear, won't you please
The time that we sat in the rain, in the breeze
We laughed like children, all cold and all wet
Yet cherished that moment, with admiration met
Eager I am of those moments impending
They may not be perfect, but my hope I am spending
I trust how I know by the move of your brow
Whether content or elated, I should know by now
The smallest of things, how treasured they stay
Like the glint in your eye, your few hairs of grey
Pondering about the many things gone
I'll be grateful, and take the encouragement drawn
I love you for ages, for now and for ever
Maturing more always, and ceasing never
I love thee in wisdom, the Proverbs state well
Truly, how fitting, the words that they tell
My love like the sunrise, each morn made anew
The brilliantly bold, the gentle soft hue
The quiet, the stillness, the twilighted hour
The day displays on, like a blossoming flower
I love thee with fervor, with mind and with heart
How love is created, like great works of art
Carve it I will, and dapple with paint
With rhyme and with reason, loud canvas, proudly quaint
My love and my friend, for whom I've great affection
He who guardeth my honour with knightly protection
I realize how deep and how strong our connection
And greater still, after a lengthy reflection
Though sometimes it feels like a walk on ice, thin
We make it, we shake it, and take it all in
My love like the vast ocean, endless and deep
A great bottomless peace, a tranquil, dreamless sleep
Love is a choice on a daily basis
It's a real paradoxical homeostasis
An action I take, a place of being
It's faith and it's fruitful, believing before seeing
Love is patient and gentle, gracious and kind
Doesn't boast, is not rude, and rarely does it mind
You make my heart dance, you make my heart sing
It flutters here still, with the joy that you bring
Leaping or lame, whatever my state
A list of the ways that I love you, I'll slate
The list I could write would go on without end
Of love's dearest aspects, how it makes hard hearts bend
The heights and the depths, oh what a ride!
What an adventure with you by my side!
Count them, count them, the ways and the modes
The thin and the thick, the heartfelt odes
For lack of a fortune I give this poem freely
As a love's ballad, meaningful sort of soliloquy
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
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