Tales of Love # 22

LOVE LETTERS IN THE LIBRARY

I entered the musty library,
Of the once great house
With its leather upholstered chairs
And oak paneled walls,
Instantly feeling at home,
So I took a seat in a chesterfield beside the fire
And in comfort I began to read
But my chosen reading was not
One of the myriad of leather bound tomes
That filled the oak shelves from floor to ceiling
Nor a rare first edition, of which there were many,
I had my choice of all the classics
With their gold embossed titles
But my selection was a collection of letters
Neatly tied in faded red ribbons
And as I began to read them
They took my breath away
For each beautifully hand written page
Was part of a remarkable love story
About a most extraordinary couple
Whose depth of love was evident
In every eloquent syllable.

As I read on, their love affair
Was revealed to me as a most exceptional love story
For this lovingly devoted couple
Who billed and cooed in copperplate
On every scented page and shared their hearts love
In unguarded detail, had never met
For they had begun to write
In the innocence of childhood
As pen pals, for a project set by School
It was a chore that had to be done
But it didn’t remain burdensome
Yet even though they had never met
Their love was evident, in fact it was palpable
In their intimate personnel correspondence,
No that’s not what it was
Correspondence did not in any form
Convey the true meaning of their substance.
The tangibility was in their Love letters
That’s the only way to say it
The flowery words of an affaire d’amour
Echoed in the calligraphy on every page
Each revealing billet doux
More affectionate, romantic and intimate
Than its passionate predecessor
They billed and cooed on every page
Each lovingly constructed sentence
Heavily laced with innuendo
And dripped with sensual longing,
Subtle yet explicit at the same time
Flavoured with delicious nuances
Flirtatious and lustful
Romantic and affectionate
A love of such perfect purity,
Not for its pureness of thought
But for the absence of any hope of physicality
For their love was star-crossed
She was an invalid, bed ridden
Stricken with polio as a child
While he was a subject of an enemy state
And because their two nations were at war
She couldn’t go to him even if her health permitted
And he was unable to go to her
For fear of capture and imprisonment
So they could never meet, would never meet
And they were content in that fact
For their love transcended the physical
So they made love via their sweet missives
A love that never faded or faltered
In an affair lasting more than forty years
Which only ended with his death

The one and only public acknowledgement
Of the lifelong love affair, was in his will
When he expressed as his dying wish
That her letters, which were so precious
To him and cherished during his life
Should be returned to his love
So that they at least should lie together
She was so broken hearted at the news
That her cherished lover had left the world
She died a week after receiving them
And they could be united at last

HAIR OF AMBER

Hair of Amber
Falls in curls
Over golden skin
In perfect complement
Like ripened corn
In a summer field

JUST A SNAPSHOT

I held a picture of her
Just a snapshot
Dog eared and faded
Posed for posterity
A picture of a young girl
In a summer dress,
A “hand me down” clearly
The pattern faded
On the much altered garment
With a fraying hem
She was a pretty girl
With a face of innocence
Framed by brown tousled hair
A naïve and unaffected girl
Unsure of her beauty
And all the more beautiful because of it
Such a wonderful snapshot
Of a perfect moment
Captured so long ago
On a perfect day
I fell in love with her that day
As my heart melted
Like the snow in spring
I love her still and I’ve loved her
Every day in between.
Tears welled in my eyes
As I looked at that picture
Of naïve innocent beauty
And they fell unchecked
As I remembered
The woman she became
And the love we shared
But then she was taken from me
So all I have left is the snapshot
And all the memories it invokes

A SEA BREEZE BLEW THROUGH OUR HAIR

A sea breeze blew through our hair
As we walked along the shore line
The waves lapped at the sand
And sunlight glinted on the water
It must have been a beautiful scene
But as we walked hand in hand
I confess I had eyes only for you
As we strolled along the beach
While waves lapped at the sand

WHERE THE CROWNS OF ANGELS GLOW

If I am the first of us to go
I will wait for you in the place
Where the crowns of Angels glow

If I go first because I lost the fight
I will be waiting with the Father
Where souls emerge into the light

If I am the first of us to go there
I will await you in lush meadows
Where sweet perfume fills the air

If I go first and leave your company
We will meet again in paradise
And be together for all eternity

If I am the first to go, allay your fears
I will be waiting in the place
Where God has banished tears

If I go before you and we must part
I will wait for you in heaven
Where sweet music soothes the heart

If I am first to go, we will meet again
In a far better place than this
Where God has banished pain

If I go first through the eternal door
You will find me with the angels
Where suffering is no more

If I am first to go by days or years
You will find me waiting there
Far beyond this vale of tears