Now you're in your 59th year of marriage to (NAME),
and together, you've worked at your family dream,
and now, with two sons and six grandchildren later,
we're very grateful you're such a wonderful team.
Well, I think "you", are indeed, my real gift,
because I love you truly, with all my heart and soul,
for with you in my life, I feel complete,
you are the one that makes me completely whole.
But despite all that, we fell madly in love,
and on New Year's Eve I happily said "yes",
fireworks, sleet, a masked ball, dancing,
how could I say "no" to a lifetime of happiness?
You love those old black and white movies,
and from Cleveland, you've travelled afar,
and I think our wedding song was simply perfect,
because you are loved: "Just the way you are"
And you're such a perfect gent, a true romantic,
your little presents always give me a such lift,
and you've told me that even when we're married,
you said that you'll still make a point of giving me a gift.
She loved the Lord and shared that gift with us all,
she had a big heart and taught us all how to give,
she was always thinking of and doing for others,
in truth, I think she taught us all how to live.
We have a 29 year difference in our age
but that has not stopped us from enjoying each other,
you're my best friend, my confidant,
you're my husband and yes, my lover.
Now you both love watching your old westerns,
we know that Mom is particularly fond of John Wayne,
and it doesn't matter how many times you've seen them before,
if it's a western, you'll watch them again and again.
Our first year was a rough one,
you would certainly never call it red letter,
but this, gladly, is a whole new year,
and yes, it's going to get a whole lot better.
The past year has been simply wonderful,
truly, it has been the year of my dreams,
every month, we became closer and closer,
we became one of the world's greatest teams.
Look, I'm the maid of honor here,
and I certainly don't want to preach,
but I'm going to share a few thoughts,
and I'll try not to make this a boring old speech.
I remember when you used to take me shopping,
and I used to get anything that my little heart desired,
you once bought me a very purple (you called it Mauve) dress,
I was about 5 years old (and of that dress, I never grew tired).
Last year I had a bad episode with my health,
I had a bad migraine and couldn't speak well or walk,
I knew in my heart I was dying, but you were there for me,
to feed me, to bathe me, but to importantly, talk.
You gave me the courage to follow in your steps,
and at the end of day, that?s the greatest gift of all,
as Dad, because of you I walk taller,
in fact, I feel like I?m ten feel tall!
You are the greatest gift on earth,
in fact, a gift from God above,
and now I know the meaning of marriage,
and now I know the meaning of true love.
And (NAME) is already our squealing little baby,
he too gets excited when we have our cuddle time,
but despite us living in this crappy, old cheap apartment,
we're still finding the reason in our rhyme.
I am more comfortable with you than with anyone else,
you are my princess, you are my dream,
and after our first year together, it's wonderful,
we've proved to the World we truly are a team.
And I'm sorry, but there's no chocolates this year,
instead, just my simple but undying words of love,
because I know that I've been blessed to have shared you,
I know that I've been blessed by the heavens above.
I'm so looking forward to the adventures ahead,
and to our future stories, as yet unwritten and untold,
new careers, new homes and one day, children,
so it's with you, I'm looking forward to getting really old.
Because about a year later, I got pregnant,
but tragically, I lost the baby along the way,
and the doctors had some more bad news for me,
and I'll never, ever forget what they had to say.
Last year I searched so many stores,
in truth, I searched long and hard, high and low,
but I ended up giving you chocolates and a card,
and now there are some things you need to know.
Because you have persistently and consistently loved us,
and it seems like 'you' is always the last thing on your mind,
you have this wonderful gift of being able to inspire,
and we know that's a treasure and so very hard to find.
The past year has been simply wonderful,
truly, it has been the year of my dreams,
every month, we became closer and closer,
we became one of the world's greatest teams.
She loved the Lord and shared that gift with us all,
she had a big heart and taught us all how to give,
she was always thinking of and doing for others,
in truth, I think she taught us all how to live.
I know we have roach problems in the summer,
in the winter we can see our breath in the shower,
and year round, having hot water is a crap shoot,
and we can get a cold drenching at any hour.
40 year old gag gift
Copyright Allen Jesson :o) 1995-2007
www.agiftofpoetry.com
