My husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary this past Monday. I wrote him this, my first love poem, in honor of the occasion.
Love Poem
If I wrote a list of my favorite things
owls would perch there
as would the seed heads of dandelions
with their wind-wild confetti parties
I’d jot down twisting wisps of dawn-lit fog
dew-bedecked spider webs and
the first chorus of the spring peepers
along with bloom-laden stalks of hollyhocks
the scents of balsam and cinnamon
and the echoing cry of a loon
Then, above them all,
there’s that spot on your neck
beneath your left ear
and your scent that rises as I lean in
to press my lips there
the constellation of freckles on your shoulders
and the solid warmth of you beside me
at the close of every day
Molly Hogan ©2019
This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Mary Lee Hahn at her blog, A Year of Reading . She’s sharing a wonderful original poem entitled “I Am Not”, inspired by a Naomi Shihab Nye prompt. This week many others are also sharing poems with a Naomi Shihab Nye theme. Stop by to check them out!
Nix the comfort zone 
Oh Molly, this is so sweet! You and I got married the same year, and I still have a few more weeks to work on my love poem for my husband. Thanks for the inspiration! Yours is really beautiful. Happy anniversary! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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Happy Anniversary to you as well, Ruth! I’m a bit embarrassed that it took me 30 years of marriage to write a love poem! lol
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Beautiful…he is one fortunate husband to be the recipient of this poem. Happy Anniversary to you!
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Thanks, Linda. He’s not a huge poetry fan, but I think he liked it 🙂
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A beautiful poem, Molly. And congratulations on your 30th wedding anniversary!
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Thank, Amy! Hope all’s well with you and wishing you a wonderful end of the school year!
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This above all, one of the ‘big’ things, love, Molly. It’s beautiful! Happy Anniversary!
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Thanks, Linda. We started dating before I had my driver’s license! It seems like it’s been forever, and yet I also wonder where the years have gone.
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Happy anniversary! I like how you weave your way among the little things of nature to those beloved things “above them all.” Lucky guy, to have you!
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And lucky me, to have him! 🙂
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So beautiful, Molly! Happy Anniversary!
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Thank you!
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Happy Anniversary, Molly. This poem is absolutely beautiful. The sensuous spot on the neck combined with the light humor of freckles shows what a wonderful, intimate, and kind marriage you have.
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Thanks, Margaret. “Wonderful, intimate and kind” are great things to strive for in a marriage. Some days we’re there, some days we have to work a bit harder!
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Happy Anniversary, Molly. I love how you play with words in this poem to bring vivid descriptions to mind, for example: wind-wild confetti parties. What a stirring love poem you wrote. You inspire me to go back into my poetry journal that I started for my husband when I was first married.
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Carol, I’m inspired that you have a poetry journal for your husband. What a lucky guy! My husband had to wait for his first love poem until this 30th anniversary!
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Awww… I am a sucker for a love poem, and this one is just lovely! What a gift… congratulations to you and your husband on 30 years. xo
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Thanks, Irene!
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Love your list, Molly! Your word choices conjure up a beautiful outer and inner world. Happy 30th!
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Thanks, Tabatha!
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Happy anniversary! Your poem melts my heart–that list is simply amazing with its specificity and emotion.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kay. Thanks!
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This is such a tender, loving poem. Happy Anniversary!
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Thanks, Catherine!
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“Constellations of freckles…” love. Happy anniversary. My hubs and I will have known one another 30 years in January 2020.
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We’ve known each other for over 36 years now! We met when I was 15 and started dating when I had just turned 16. It seems impossible to me!
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Congratulations on your anniversary. Your poem fills me with joy. Those final lines are the perfect crescendo and release into comfort. I will never think of dandelions the same after reading,
the seed heads of dandelions
with their wind-wild confetti parties
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Thanks so much! Dandelions are fascinating plants!
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Wow, Molly. Your husband must have been so touched! Did I already mention that we share the same anniversary? 🙂 I discovered someone on FB who shared the same anniversary, but I don’t think it was you. My husband and I celebrated our 23rd last Monday. Seven more to go and then maybe I’ll be able to write a poem as beautiful as yours.
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Thanks and happy belated anniversary to you, Michelle!
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What a special poem and lucky guy to have this poem written for him. I love all your loves at the beginning, and especially your ending lines,
“and the solid warmth of you beside me
at the close of every day.”
Happy Anniversary to you both!
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Thanks so much, Michelle. As we like to say, “What a long strange trip it’s been!” lol
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I have not checked in here for some time since I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are good quality so I guess I?¦ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
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Your comment got funneled in my SPAM box and I just found it and approved it. Sorry for the delay! I appreciate your honesty. I’m glad to have you back and happy to know my posts are trending toward better quality. 🙂 Thanks!
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