For Norm and Mary, on their wedding
They leaned together on the porch
Looking out past the water’s edge
Shimmering orange as the spent summer sun
Evaporated into the cool night air
“How far shall we go?”
Her hand pressed inside his,
Like the gentle pressure of a kiss
Unhurried, lingering… he pressed back
And watched the last fragments of the day
Drift away from the darkening sea
“We shall go where we have never gone;
Over and beyond the horizon’s sharp crease
Past mountains of water, through forests of light
Out to the place where the Sun is reborn…
We shall go as far as there is to go.”
The waves rolled in the distance, crashing into stars
Cascading up to fill the black-blue sky
“What shall we see?”
Her eyes closed gently as
Her head rested on his steady shoulder
“We shall see what we have never seen;
Rocks that float on crystal lakes.
Painted birds that sing in rainbows,
Fish electric swimming in ice…
We shall see all that there is to see.”
The low moon drew a path to the shore
As bait fish danced and terns swooped down
“And what shall we eat?”
Their wine caught the same moon glow
Sparkled with the same fish dance…
“We shall eat what we have never eaten;
Golden fruits with crimson flesh
Fragrant stews in earthen kettles,
Nectar from an orchid’s cup…
We shall eat all that there is to eat.”
She turned toward him, eyes open wide
And held his heavy hands lightly in her own
“I will adventure with you…
To where the new sun is born
To where rocks float on water
To where the orchids yield nectar…”
The moonlight found their wedding bands
And landed, glistening as she spoke
“But always know this:
If I never leave this porch
I’ve already found where the new day begins;
I see it birthed each morning
When I wake up beside you
And your eyes open to meet with mine… ”
He brought her hands up to his lips
“We will adventure together…
And always know this:
The greatest treasure for me
Will be the echo of your beauty
In a thousand new waters…
The sweet taste of your lips in a thousand new airs.”
The moon dissolved, leaving only the stars
A candlelight vigil until the morning’s rising
Illuminating the now empty porch.
