You-Me-Us, a Growing Passion

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I am not getting on too well with either my fractured ankle or the hormone therapy for my prostate cancer, but writing love poems always cheers me up. Although I have not had a partner for many years, the memory of our love always lifts my spirits whenever they hover at the edge of some abyss and contemplate going into free fall...

One of my favourite songs is 'All The Way', beautifully sung by the late, great Frank Sinatra in the movie, The Joker is Wild; it starts, 'If somebody loves you, it's no good unless they love you/all the way/ through the sad and lean years, and all the in-between years, come what may...

Neither love nor passion are reserved solely for people, of course; places, pets, books, works of art (creating as well as viewing) we can so easily fall in love with these, and over a lifetime such love can just as easily become a passion. Nor should we ever forget or underestimate the role of platonic love in our lives ... 

"Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise."

- Samuel Johnson

"Love without passion is dreary; passion without love is horrific."

-- Lord Byron

Love, though, can be something of a lottery, and you have to be in it to win it.

YOU-ME-US, A GROWING PASSION

I built a sandcastle for you,

but you kicked it down with infant feet,

and made me cry buckets

I wrote a love poem for you,

but you threw a typical teenage tantrum,

and tore it into tiny pieces

I composed a pop song for you,

and everyone loved it except the person

for whom it was intended

I painted a portrait of you,

but you didn’t care for the way I see you,

and cold-shouldered me

I made a solemn promise to you

that I’d love you forever, no matter what,

and we kissed

We made love together, bonding

with eternity, transcending a born intimacy

and centuries-old creativity

Together, we built a castle

to withstand all temporal waves, reaffirm

the spirituality of creativity

Copyright R. N. Taber 2012

[Note: This poem first appeared under the title 'Making Sure of Love' in Tracking the Torchbearer by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2012.]

Love, a Sense of Immortality

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

[Update June 24th 2018: Two friends of mine, Jim and Amy, are getting married in Cambridge today. Sadly, I am not well enough to go so they asked if this poem could be read during the service as then I would be there in spirit. It was a lovely thought and I was thrilled to agree without even having to think about it, especially as it will be read by the bridegroom's mother, an old friend from my student days back in the early 1970's who I know will read it well, I hope you will all join with me in wishing Jim and Amy a long and happy life together as man and wife.]

Meanwhile...

Not only is love is much the same the world over, but it is nearly always the case that anyone who comes between two lovers has either a bigoted axe to grind against one or both of them or is simply a socio-cultural-religious anachronism in this crazy, mixed-up, 21st century of ours.

LOVE, A SENSE OF IMMORTALITY 

I have greeted chimes of midnight,

lain beside you at the toll for one,

while half-dreams flow into starlight

nurturing a life force barely begun

I have heard the clock ticking over

for the passing of happy hours

nor shall, when it stops, run for cover,

but embrace a time forever ours

I have heard sweet songs at sunrise,

watched the last stars slip away,

the dawn of time in Love's bright eyes

promising (another) beautiful day

Where nature pauses as days grow cold,

lovers dream on beyond a growing old

Copyright R. N. Taber 2007; 2018

[This poem has been slightly revised from the original as it first appeared under the title 'The Night Watch' in Accomplices to Illusion by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2007.]

A Seaside Calendar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

I spent another lovely day in Brighton, Sussex (UK) recently. I love it there and always enjoy time spent at the seaside. 

I have read poems ‘on location’ in Brighton for You Tube that some of you might enjoy although don’t expect the quality of the videos to be up to BBC standards; just follow the link and click on ‘videos’ to browse and view any that might interest you. (I read different poems on each Brighton video):

http://www.youtube.com/rogerNtaber

Meanwhile, as a song goes with which UK readers especially will be familiar, Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside...

{Photo: Pendower, Conwall, taken from the Internet.]

A SEASIDE CALENDAR 

Laughter, on summer-scented air

bursts on jaunty wing;

glad eyes shine the dipping gull,

excite twin waves,

returns excelling. Sun on sand.

Oh world, on hand 

to greet me, make or break, 

whatever

Joy but hushed, the autumn year

devours the sky;

sad eyes shape the dipping gull,

endure each wave,

returns excelling. Sun on sand.

Oh world, on hand 

to greet me, make or break,

whatever...

Hopes reviewed, wintry ways

break their silence;

watery eyes applaud a lone bird,

brave each wave,

returns excelling. Sun on sand.

Oh world, on hand

to greet me, make or break,

whatever...

Comings and goings of n-o-i-s-e

in playful flight;

wide eyes consume a mating pair,

glide twin waves, 

returns excelling. Sun on sand.

Oh. world, on hand 

to greet me, make or break.

whatever...

Copyright R. N. Taber 2000; 2018

[Note: an earlier version of this poem appears in Love and Human Remains by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2000.]