When we first met, I savored each word from your lips.
I counted our moments together, our moments apart,
Each one filled with wonder.
I feared that it could not last,
that it was fleeting, ephemeral.
We talked for hours, and I feel further into your siren spell.
I longed to see you, hold you, hear you
I could scarcely breathe without you in my thoughts,
without you in my breath.
Now, it is no longer so.
Our moments together are still full of wonder
You are as transcendent and resplendent as in our youth
You are no less, nor I (I hope)
But I no longer fear that what we have
will melt in moments, like snowflakes on your cheeks, on my hands.
And so I have changed.
Before, I was but a wildebeest, coming down to the waters,
sipping in small measures.
Each sip was sweet, new, delightful, wonderful.
Now, I bathe in the waters, wash in the waters, eat and drink in the waters.
I live in the waters.
I am buoyed by its strength, and guided by its current.
I no longer recall the nomadic life, the thirst, and the quenching of it.
I have forgotten what it is to be dry, to bear my full weight.
I am no longer a creature of the grass,
who comes to the waters for rejoicing, for pleasure, for healing.
I am a hippo, surrounded by comfort, beauty, buoyancy
Surrounded by life and love.
I oft forget the beauty and majesty
of where I once visited,
of where I now live,
Jul 8, 2025
Jul 8, 2025 at 5:51 PM UTC
When we first met, I savored each word from your lips.
I counted our moments together, our moments apart,
Each one filled with wonder.
I feared that it could not last,
that it was fleeting, ephemeral.
We talked for hours, and I feel further into your siren spell.
I longed to see you, hold you, hear you
I could scarcely breathe without you in my thoughts,
without you in my breath.
Now, it is no longer so.
Our moments together are still full of wonder
You are as transcendent and resplendent as in our youth
You are no less, nor I (I hope)
But I no longer fear that what we have
will melt in moments, like snowflakes on your cheeks, on my hands.
And so I have changed.
Before, I was but a wildebeest, coming down to the waters,
sipping in small measures.
Each sip was sweet, new, delightful, wonderful.
Now, I bathe in the waters, wash in the waters, eat and drink in the waters.
I live in the waters.
I am buoyed by its strength, and guided by its current.
I no longer recall the nomadic life, the thirst, and the quenching of it.
I have forgotten what it is to be dry, to bear my full weight.
I am no longer a creature of the grass,
who comes to the waters for rejoicing, for pleasure, for healing.
I am a hippo, surrounded by comfort, beauty, buoyancy
Surrounded by life and love.
I oft forget the beauty and majesty
of where I once visited,
of where I now live,
I wrote this is a gift to my wife of 19 years (at the time), reflecting on our married lives together. The metaphor is humorous and accurate.