And then you
Said you’ve never
Had romance yet
Loved love is
In essence romance
It’s first flight
For a hatchling
And that initial
Skidded landing on
Marshy lake it’s
That one taste
Of snow and
Your first bitter
Lick of lemon
Romance is eyes
And smiles and
Chagrin caught staring
It’s that first
Tentative touch and
Oh yes that
First cautious kiss
This is romance
And to you
My dear boy
Poetry romance lives
I awoke still
Sleepy absent dreams
Like the wolf
Missing the moon
Howling reduced to
Whimpers not himself
Calm like fresh
Snow newly fallen
Lest wind driven
And the sun
Breaking eastern skies
Quietly and tenderly
Vanished of clouds
Simply these for
My heart is
Full knowing that
You occupy your
Space there like
Your window of
My advent calendar
And then finally
We were at
Long last face
To face studying
Eyes and smiles
Forearms and hands
Fingertips dancing along
Veins on hand
Or fine wrinkles
Near eyes inching
Closer still closer
Feeling each others
Breathy lipped humidity
When at once
They touched closed
Then open finally
Breathing life into
The other silently
For the first
Time us lifeguards
You know how
You simply like
Someone and the
Way they are
Makes things better
Like a beautiful
Present whose wrapping
Attracts you there
But the gift
Inside is what
You find precious
I picked you
For one thing
But kept you
For the thing
That you are
So I promised
A poem to
You on Valentines
Day one day
When poems burst
From greeting cards
As quickly as
Sins in confessionals
On Good Friday
But this poem
Has but five
Simple words followed
By two others
Followed by your
One simple one
Word answer will
You be my
Valentine will you
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 