Sonnet 43
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee from the genesis.
Blessed was our encounter. Sovereignty spoke and we had no choice but to listen.
Our bodies, seemingly understanding the magnitude of the moment, locked hands and lips became the seal.
Though marred by sin and self, I am all the better for it.
I love thee in the process.
This friendship, so anchoring in the tussle of blooming and cocooning and laughter and hurt and distance and time and chance. We knew not what we were given but you were smart enough not to taint it.
Then love arrived. And grew. And grows.
You, the captain of our ship treaded these uncharted seas with the utmost care.
A tenderness that protects yet prunes.
We vowed to try and try we still.
Thank you for being intentional then and now.
Still steady at the wheel, with many waves and storms we’ve passed and mannier ahead, our ship has a glut of seas to chart yet still.
I love thee in the turbulence, as we hold each other’s hands firm.
I love thee when hurt and pride and self stand in the way, yearning to yield to meekness.
I love thee in the misapprehensions. A thing of treasure, you are worth every frustrating conversation.
I love thee in the shallow. When beauty is the standard, you win every olympic.
I love thee in the stillness, when words cannot suffice. A look, a touch, a note are but a few of the supplements.
I love thee deliberately. A choosing on the daily. I love thee in the becoming.
I love thee in the forward. A thing of hope, I shall love thee better then.
I love thee more than I did then, a now greater than yesteryear.
The future shines all the brighter with the thought of you in it. What bliss, it fuels my love all the more!
|