~

color...
the changing palette of bluest green and softest brown,
that gaze out the soul panes that adorn your face tween nose and brow.

taste...
that hint of mint on your breath with the slightest note of chardonnay
that dances on my tongue during a long goodnight kiss.

smell...
the smell of fresh linen, soft cotton with hints of floral scent on sea breeze,
that lingers in your hair and in the air after a long, sweet embrace.

sound...
the hushed whispers of your voice as you tell me,
"i'll stay the night tonight... and every one hereafter, 'til i breathe my last!"

place...
the gentle rising, shaded shoulder of bare land where i lay my head
between your slender arm, your silky neck.

memory...
the natural way your head fits perfectly twixt my arm and chest,
like a memory foam all its own made just for you.

person...
you... in all your forms, adorned and unadorned;
in grief, laughter, in hope, ever after!

~

*post script.

happy anniversary, darling!
thirty-six years ago today
you made me the happiest
and most blessed man
on God's green earth!
if i could go back
and change things...
i'd change nothing!