Friday, December 19, 2008

A Poem to Honor Two Strange Things


Today would have been my mom and dad's 64th wedding anniversary. Though my dad died in 1985, I still call my mom on their anniversary. Sunday my husband and I will celebrate our 37th anniversary, and we still have no idea, really, why it all works. Love is strange, and marriage even stranger. So here is a light-hearted poem in honor of those two strange, deep-hearted things:

To My Husband


Yes, we’re odd as ginger snaps
dunked in Turkish coffee,
we’re hot, beneath the sugar.

We stir each other’s chai
until a foam forms.
We sip, we sleep.

Honey, you still toast
every sesame seed in me—one bite
and it’s Madagascar
all over again.

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Poetry Friday is being hosted this week over at Authors Amok.

11 comments:

  1. "You still toast every sesame seed..." I may have to steal that line to use on my husband. :)

    One of the best things about being married a long time (24 years for me) is that you have a rich history of funny/odd/tender things you can continually riff off of, and lovingly tease each other about. This poem conveys that perfectly. Love it.

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  2. Julie: 37 years! Congrats. You're right: why should it work at all. Yet for some, it does. I'm forwarding your poem to my husband.

    Sara, "rich history": I treasure those too.

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  3. Julie,

    Love the poem--and Happy Anniversary! Next July, my husband and I will celebrate our 40th anniversary. We started dating when we were fifteen. As Sara says--we have lots of shared memories.

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  4. Ha! I think this ups the ante on anniversary gifts. I need to start working on a poem for my next anniversary in February.

    Why does a marriage work, how? Such questions!

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  5. That is so sweet and brought a smile to my face. Also, I have a sudden, inexplicable hunger for molasses cookies. Happy anniversary to you and your husband!

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  6. Thanks, all, for the good wishes. And Elaine, my husband and I met the summer I was 15, too! Gad, crazy crazy and crazy. Congratulations in advance for your 40th. And Sara, to you, for your 24th. Let's raise a glass to everyone loony enough to get married and sane enough to make it work. Or vice versa, I'm not quite sure.

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  7. What a fabulous poem, celebrating the sugar and spice of marriage. Happy Anniversary!! (We just celebrated our 30th this year.)

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  8. Off-topic!
    Hi, Julie. I've awarded you a "Butterfly" for having a really cool blog, which I always enjoy checking out on Poetry Friday.
    Here's the scoop at Ink for Lit.
    Have a great day!

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  9. Thanks, Jennifer - how sweet of you.I'll try to pass that along. And Jama, congratulations on your 30th!

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  10. Julie,
    I just found your blog, and I'm enjoying your poems. I look forward to reading more. Do you have a web page?

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