Starshine

The house of many voices 
Validated my choices 

She tossed back her ginger blaze hair
I nearly fell out of my chair

She let poetry show me her heart
That she was cheeky nerdy and smart

For years we were stuck around the friend zone 
Foot by foot we pushed towards the endzone

We scored a touchdown she said will you be mine
I'm over the moon I'm walking on starshine 

I'll Hang on if You Hang on to Me

Come on let's spoon
It's not too soon
To try

While we entwined
We have climbed
Too high

Something I knew
Never want you
To sigh

I've had enough
I'm not too tough
To cry

Not meant to daunt
But I don't want 
To die

Survive this thing
And there's a ring
To buy

Do not lose hope
Look for a rope
To tie

Are our wings wet
Did we forget
To fly

Act One

I met a girl at a poetry group
Group of writers become a ring of friends
Friends just friends we would say
Say little feel much spend a lot of time
Time turns seeds into stubborn roots
Roots entwine leaves break the surface
Surface of the moon in my heart
Heart jumps floating free and easy
Easy to feel hard to put into words
Words my forte locked inside
Inside a bus she breaks the spell
Spell it out spit it out as the miles roll
Roll out the red carpet spread the news
News travels fast and so does love set free
Free to dance to sing to shout
Shout it from the rooftops let the bells ring
Ring on her finger hand in hand
Hand me a tissue this is only act one
One heart one flesh one love 

I met a girl in a coffee shop.

I met a girl in a coffee shop.

Shy. Letting her sister do all the talking.

She never even remembered me.

I remembered a mass of flaming ginger hair.

She was ten years younger anyway.

The girls and a brother came to our poetry group.

Still shy. She quietly read her poems.

We all read our poems round and round the circle.

Poems are our past sins, present pain, and future hopes. 

We friends heard heartsongs some lovers never do.

The siblings and I would hang out after each poetry group.

Not so shy. She spoke up and joined the conversation.

We spoke of wars, and treks, and rings and heroes, occasionally reality.

One summer, she and I were the group, as her sister married.

Too much stigma to say 'just friends', mere acquaintances then.

A little braver. She started coming to my church, meeting my friends.

To hang out after church, I needed to give her rides home.

 Was it mom's pie, or her that made me stay so late each Sunday night?

Confident. She moved into town and the home of  'sister' from the church.

Everywhere that Esther went Mark was sure to go.

Trips to see sister and nephews were fine wine of time spent well.

We were like an old married couple, but 'never dated'.

Bold now. "Am I your girlfriend or not?"

Two days before my birthday. Best birthday yet.

No money. No career. No clue. No problem--she loves me!

Finally she said, "Here's the ring I want. Propose when you're ready."

I did. I was. We married.

Two days before my birthday. Best birthday EVER!

A carefully laid foundation makes a home that will last.