“You are so pretty,” it was said far too often by me,

Like a child with his wanted gift for everyone to see,

Forgive him for saying far too often you’re so pretty,

I wonder how many wives endure such a tragedy,

Imagine the teen so overwhelmed with a girl,

Emotions never known, overtake him in a whirl,

So beautiful was her flowing hair without curl,

Aspiring to give her treasures of gold and pearl,

To calm her displeasure he bit his lip into silence,

With caution of word he would fear to say so hence,

Yet every day he said “you are beautiful” without pretense,

Words escaped his mouth and leapt his censor fence,

Imagine the little girl without anything but dreams,

Without dreams things may be worse than it seems,

A dream is hope for something better downstream,

When she accomplishes that dream, see her beam,

To think his own mouth he would have to restrain,

It wasn’t his mouth but such beauty was to blame,

Words would escape as if impossible to contain,

Beautiful, pretty, gorgeous, so many words pertain,

Imagine the man alone because of words unspoken,

If only the courage came would he be so broken,

Wishing he had said those words instead of chokin’,

His life wasted away like a discarded wood token,

He saw her in dreams long ago most every night,

When at war, as he slept, he held her photo tight,

After enduring so much, return acclimation was a fight,

He asked why fight for anti-America protester’s right,

Imagine the man still overwhelmed with the girl,

Emotions discovered still overwhelm him in a whirl,

So beautiful is her long flowing hair without curl,

He aspires to give her treasures of gold and pearl,

Long hours alone magnified how he had felt while home,

The anxiety of danger and near death while being alone,

Praying that she wouldn’t forget him and start to roam,

It pulls heavily on tormented hearts that feel so alone,

Imagine two teens whose eyes lock more than a glance,

Was fate at work or did they truly meet there by chance,

Courage came to announce his love one night at a dance,

And she wanting his words but departed before his chance,

Once lips and hearts unite even if brief true love is known,

With no doubt in his heart he departs before love is shown,

Regret for not saying so was another burden of war sewn,

Letters written with no response don’t quell love that has grown,

Imagine the soldier so grateful to survive,

Discharged as damaged and lucky to be alive,

Grateful it happened in hope the romance will revive,

A two minute visit is enough to keep the flame alive,

Working hard after his discharge and buying a car,

By design he returns instead of wishing upon a star,

She changed an un-responsible man to do the best he can,

The war killed his innocence and returned a damaged man,

Imagine the grown girl without anything but dreams,

Without dreams things may be worse than it seems,

A dream is hope for something better downstream,

When she accomplishes that dream, she will beam,

Imagine the beautiful girl with a fulfilled improbable dream,

With that dream becoming a reality she is now agleam,

A secret dream in hopes of something better downstream,

Departing the church arm in arm it’s no longer a dream,

So high above reality with the past year alive in his head,

Thinking he wouldn’t survive yet he came home alive instead,

He felt her hand in his instead of a photo as bullets flew overhead,

Her beauty overwhelmed him as he held her in their lovers bed,

Imagine the soldier that survived loneliness, torture, and more,

Coming home to the girl that loved him as much as before,

Imagine him married to her with stored emotions of war,

His heart aflame with love for her, so many feelings in store,

“You are beautiful,” he says, far too often than a normal man would,

Would anyone understand his feelings if in his shoes they stood,

You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my life,

There is none second to you, I am blessed to have you as my wife,

Imagine his dismay after a few months had gone by,

“You say I’m beautiful far too much, can I ask you why?”

It’s because I’m in disbelief after all I’ve been through,

His mind speaks loud with no word said, “I love you,”

Realizing her feelings and how imbalanced his words were he replied,

You are wonderful through and through no doubt, it cannot be denied,

Adding, “I love each moment with you even hearing your giggle inside,”

Hopefully tonight, forty-five years later, my love for you cannot be denied.

The end, by Pat for Patti

Love steers the heart through uncharted waters not explored before,

Across waves of turmoil to be thrown about before coming ashore,

Within each soul is a desire to seek or to be sought by he who seeks,

To find or to be found ignites exuberant transitions that never peaks,

Love is as vast as the darkness of space lit by bursts of loves ignition,

Appearing as stars so unique it has identity that deserves recognition,

Some so enormous that sectors of space are brightly lit for eternity,

Wondrous beauty is found within creation that astronomers often see,

When wondrous beauty is found those in awe desire to remain,

As they gasp in awe they feel too small in mind, stature, and frame,

I saw the beauty of God’s creation and awkwardly asked her name,

At that moment a feeling of need filled my heart to forever remain,

The vastness of space if love could envelop a heart for evermore,

Lovers of all ages are soon absorbed into the vastness to explore,

Exploring emotions, along with feelings of touch, kisses and more,

Like explorers of space they want to know more than ever before,

And I feel as if I am the greatest explorer of the enormity of love,

From a kiss long ago I soared into the vastness of the heavens above,

And today I soar as never before with no desire to rest or curb the flow,

She gives me reason to soar and to learn everything of her before I go,

On the wings of love I fly fueled by the wondrous beauty so unique,

As I pull her near to explore and find the unknown I still grow week,

Kisses of her lips ignite my soul more today than they did yesterday,

I am the greatest explorer man has known, she makes me feel that way.

The end, by Pat for Patti

It was a silent night that I felt wholly to be in love with you,

All was calm and the moon brightened the night sky to blue,

A sensation felt this deeply must be of Heaven if felt true,

Paradise is but your essence as to breathe in fills me through,

I have prayed prayers in desperation to feel your kiss at last,

Yes, I have prayed desperately as I feared time moved too fast,

A desperate prayer brought by feeling time’s line had been cast,

I must absorb this moment as I hold your tender hand at last,

You are the air my lungs desire if air from yonder garden come,

If your exhale has placed your essence of particle delight some,

Breathe deep I will and treasure it until my lungs no longer hold,

For you, you sweet young angel are to be my lifetime of gold.

I climbed a wall so tall that was built of deceit for many years,

Too many agents of distrust conspired to fuel my many fears,

As I searched for a friendly face I found they designed the wall,

Oh my Lord what have I done in blindness to bring my own fall,

I went to sleep but a year ago to find an old man returning my stare,

So startled I was to find this image of me with white silver hair,

Come and see me if you must but a label or warning must be said,

You’ll think I’m insane when I tell you of the life I remember in my head,

I have dreamed of angels, war, deceit, children, grandchildren and more,

So many things happened to me it’s unbelievable, especially the war,

Let me show you the photograph that is my only piece of gold,

So many nights I slept with my treasured photo tightly in my hold,

My tale of life will tell a tale of love with never a bad word spoken of her,

Do Angels have failings you wonder?  I have no ill words of her to offer,

A bullet once pierced my heart because of her yet without her I die,

I endured a world so lonely during war that yes, I’d break down and cry,

Without a penny to my name and so weary of war I endured protester’s rant,

Dressed in uniform a church member answered my request for a ride with I can’t,

Was it an angel of mercy that took a weary damaged soldier home that night,

I believe it to be true as I walked and prayed to God I held her picture tight,

My life is poetry in verse and placed upon a website for all to read,

It is written for her, I want all the world to know she fulfilled every need,

I’ve had too many miracles to write of but I will attempt to do so soon,

Each and everyone is interlaced in her, her prayers avoided doom,

Another burden had come to bear and with her I will endure,

Too many times I’ve been told of death with no possible cure,

Yet darkness seems to scare me more so I pray she will lead the way,

And someday in darkness she will guide me on my parting day.

The end, by Pat

I kneel before You this day and ask for Your guiding hand,

At the moment I’m so physically weak I can hardly stand,

I’ve taken this journey too many times to count I’m sure,

I’ve accepted the past pain and once again there is no cure,

Oh please hear me Lord, I’m more afraid than I’ve been before,

I fear the opaque blindness invading my eyes and what’s in store,

If in darkness, my heart will break to no longer see the one I adore,

Physical pain of diseases pale compared to not seeing who I live for,

Can You help me dear Lord I find myself trembling alone in fear,

When I feel so cowardly I hide as I don’t want my loved ones near,

To see what I’ve become when in thoughts of losing sight of her,

You know me as no other Jesus, I have nothing left to offer,

Once I was lost but in You I was found to be more than I thought,

It was from you I gained courage when for America I fought,

I have laid a path of good intention I hate to admit to You,

I’m so sorry most of my intentions had no follow through,

I have fallen as low as a man can go dear Lord I’m near my end,

For You and Patti I have fought on with no hope I would mend,

My heart seems so burdened and with tears I am crying to You,

I feel no man has been lower than where I lay tonight in view,

I’m at the corner of Desperation and Needed Miracles from You,

Give me strength to stand tall no matter what I must go through,

From Thy will Lord I will see but if Thy will is darkness give me courage,

When I trip and fall protect me please and with a whisper encourage,

I admit to You sweet Jesus that I am not the man I was a year ago,

My stamina is gone and I cannot find the courage I use to know,

Naked I am before You but Yours I am, I know that is little to offer,

Please dear Jesus give me strength to fight once more, just for her.

Amen

By Pat

Is all I have left but an empty dream to be led into darkness,

Or perhaps an opaque world with perimeters of what I miss,

If I lay here an hour or two will I awaken to the loss of you,

All I am is what I see in you and the world within your view,

As time sheds waste of past is there something unlearned,

Is something hidden in wrath’s message that I haven’t learned,

To learn compassion I was submerged in pain that I may know,

We grow each time compassion and empathy is allowed show,

Submerged in pain for thirty years was it a struggle of worth,

A world opaque or blind is my future to remain upon this earth,

As I come from the submerged I have another lesson to learn,

Optimism has been washed away in another life lesson burn,

Is this a crossroad of reflection or simply a choice in movement,

Have I have failed so extreme that this is a message Karma sent,

My failings if seen by me are so extreme that mountains pale,

Is enormity a common thread of thought when men do fail,

Absent a fountain of needed nourishment rich of you I would die,

As my brain swelled from virus it found release through my eye,

Was this the timer that sat in wait for the moment it was to be used,

Had I done better is it something my guardians could have refused,

There is a hand that guides my struggles yet too often I ignore,

I tried to endure yet I’m filled with shame for weakness to implore,

In my weakest moment I cried “mama” but worst I said “your” name,

Similar to mine I’m blessed they didn’t realize my deepest shame,

Our enemy would have used you or worst abused you to their gain,

For that I have deserved most anything to fall upon my worn frame,

An abyss filled with my darkest failings would remain forever dark,

I’ve earned my plight perhaps but without you, life would be stark,

For over six years I’ve had at least twenty five surgeries to endure,

As I forced health and strength’s return I felt I had become sure,

Words within my rhymes tell of my pleasure to be entranced in you,

As I locked into your beautiful eyes all the gifts of life came through,

Don’t cry now, stop for a moment and realize I will hold you instead,

Visions of you will still be there, alive and young, flowing in my head,

To be held will feel the same and perhaps the outer edges I’ll see,

I’m so sorry that it seems each deep gaze brings reality home to me,

It’s impossible now to have that long loving gaze without complexity,

With each gaze I judge without fail how much harder it is to see,

Let’s just lay here and hold each other, it’s where we both belong,

Softly place a kiss upon my eyelids and I’ll feel nothing is wrong.

Then end, by Pat. I love you baby