Poem #105

Elevators go up.
Elevators go down.
Some people swim.
Some people drown.

4/29/02010

Not a gushy love poem!

Poem #104

You make me smile
on the darkest of days.
You make me happy
in so many ways.

4/28/02010

Yet another gushy love poem.

Poem #103

I love you, like you,
need you, want you.
But when I'm dead,
my ghost won't haunt you.

4/28/02010

A gushy love poem that involves denial of a ghostly afterlife.

Poem #102

I will love you forever;
hope you know it.
I also wish the Caps
didn't blow it.

4/28/02010

I believe this was within a day or two of the Washington Capitals' embarrassing defeat in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Beth's a big fan of the team, which always finds a way of letting her down.

Poem #101

I hope to have you love me
in all the days ahead,
no matter how much longer
until I end up dead.

4/26/02010

Poem #100

A daffodil,
a daisy,
you almost drive
me crazy.

A violet,
a crocus,
you make me lose
my focus.

4/25/02010

A gushy love poem, mentioning four varieties of flower that happen to grow on our lawn, through no effort on our part. One of these is Beth's favorite flower. I'm not saying which one.

Poem #99

In the future,
you will probably
casually toss
your jet pack
in the back of
your flying car
with as much
wonder and awe
as you now assign
to an old t-shirt
or hoodie.

4/24/02010

Not a gushy love poem! This is a poem about the future that's been promised for so very long and never seems to materialize.

And here's one of my favorite quotations:

The future has been shrinking by one year per year for my entire life.

–Danny Hillis

Poem #98

I am unaware
of any true miracle
except maybe you.

4/23/02010

A gushy love poem, of course.

In case you don't know, I am a non-believer in all gods. I believe that beneficial coincidences happen. But that's kind of different from believing in miracles.

If you want something along the same lines of this poem, but much more beautiful, I'd recommend reading the lyrics to Nick Cave's song "Into My Arms". Better yet, try listening to it. Here's a link to an intimate live performance. The first couple of verses of this song are among the most beautiful things I can think of at the moment.

In the interest of full disclosure, I think I should mention that I was not thinking of the song at the time I composed the poem.

Poem #97

I never find myself wishing
that I were out fly fishing.
But if fishing were something you wanted to do
I would gladly go out fly fishing with you.

4/22/02010

Sort of a gushy love poem. Sort of.

Poem #96

Sherman barking
barking
barking.
Sometimes it's all I hear.

Great loud booming
booming
booming,
deep inside my ear.

4/21/02010

Here's a poem about our mongrel, Sherman. When we first got him, he was as quiet as a mouse. I kept asking Beth what was wrong with him, convinced that his silence [and extreme passivity] were a symptom of something, a sure sign that death was near. Well, clearly I broke him. Now he is not passive at all, and he has a very loud and insistent bark. A decade on, he's not showing any signs that he's at all ready for death.

Poem #95

What if I expressed
my love for you mathematically?
One plus one is greater than
infinity, emphatically.

4/20/02010

I also made a six-word variant, inspired by the Six-Word Memoirs project at SMITH Magazine:

Me plus you, mathematically: infinity, emphatically.

I happen to like the six-word version much more than the original.

Poem #94

Do opossums
sniff our blossoms
when we're busy cooking?

Do armadillos
use our pillows
when we are not looking?

A tired crocodile
might still walk a mile
to avoid ever crossing your path.

Do you think a hoot owl
would prefer a blue towel
to dry off after taking a bath?

Would a bashful giraffe
stifle her laugh
to make sure that you wouldn't hear it?

Would a brave little lizard
go out in a blizzard
just to prove that he doesn't fear it?

Would a laughing hyena
get in between a
pachyderm and a peanut?

You'd never believe the devastation
caused by an angry crustacean
even if you had seen it.

I suspect Swedish rabbits
like to dress in nuns' habits —
something I don't ever witness.

I'm sure many parrots
enjoy eating carrots —
they're quite good for ocular fitness.

Secretive little foxes
might rearrange your boxes
if you promise to pay no attention.

Clumsy polar bears
may cause solar flares,
which it's wise to never mention.

4/14/02010 – 4/19/02010

This was composed over the course of six days. I sent two stanzas per day to my darling wife. I'm posting them here together as if they are one poem, which really they kind of are.

I think there's the kernel of a children's book in here somewhere.

Poem #93

A is for air
and B is for bear
and C is for care
and D is for dare,

If E is for ear
and F is for fear
and G is for gear
and H is for here…

I am all for you.

4/13/02010

An alphabetical gushy love poem.

Poem #92

I love you through hunger.
I love you through thirst.
My love might expand
but it won't ever burst.

4/12/02010

Another gushy love poem.

Poem #91

I always worry that you will stop loving me someday.
I often think that maybe I am always in your way.
I sometimes wonder if you'll love me when my teeth fall out.
I really hope you'll still remember what our love's about.

4/11/02010

Here's my lack of self-confidence.

Poem #90

Swimming through the ocean,
flying through the sky,
walking through the wilderness,
though I don't know why.

Trying to be braver,
still ending up as shy,
much too confrontational…
still your favorite guy?

4/10/02010

This was an exercise in rhyme more than anything else.

And the "confrontational" comment stems from a conversation about how my darling wife realized that sometimes I have conversations during which I seem inappropriately argumentative/confrontational/adversarial, though I don't necessarily mean to be.

Poem #89

I don't remember how to play
this silly game I'm in.
Nonetheless, I'll find my way
so someday I may win.

4/9/02010

Beth brought me along that night as an interloper on a dungeon crawl. It had been years since I last played D&D, and I never really did quite get the hang of it. The reference to winning is a sly little joke, given the nature of the game.

Poem #88

"Your eyes, your eyes —
they sparkle like diamonds",
her husband adoringly said.

"Do they twinkle like stars?"
she replied with a wink,
before getting ready for bed.

"Of course they twinkle
and they light up the room
like a spotlight shone from above!"

"And they dance and they shimmer?"
"Yes, and not only that —
they burn when you glare, my love!"

4/8/02010

I think this is one of my cleverer poems. It's definitely one of my favorites. It reminds me a lot of Lewis Carroll. I think that's a good thing.

Poem #87

There's magic in your
tender kiss, delicate touch,
and loving glances.

4/7/02010

A gushy love haiku.

Poem #86

You didn't know
that you would marry me
until you had known me a while.
This is one thing
that I'm quite certain of,
though you say otherwise with a smile.

4/6/02010

My darling wife likes to tell the tale of how she allegedly knew that she was going to marry me the first time she met me. I like to dispute such silly claims.

Poem #85

I love you far past Neptune.
I love you way past Mars.
I love you past the planets.
I love you past the stars.

I love you past our galaxy —
beyond the Milky Way.
I love you all the time —
far beyond today.

4/5/02010

A cosmic gushy love poem.

Poem #84

If I could write you a poem
that lasts till next week and back,
would you say that you'd married
a clever old man, not in need of a whack?

If I could sing you a song
to make birds weep and babies sing,
do you think you would love me more
than the man who gave you your ring?

4/4/02010

A bizarre gushy love poem.

Poem #83

Congratulations to you.
I'm so proud of what you've done.
Just to prove it's true,
a purse is what you've won!

4/3/02010

I believe this was when my darling wife had lost 100 lbs. If I recall, she got an exercise bike as a reward for the first 50, a coveted purse as a reward for the second 50, and she's scheduled to get a real bicycle as a reward for the third 50. As of the time of this writing, she's about 3 lbs. from reaching that final goal.

Have I mentioned that she's amazing?

Poem #82

Did you ever steal
a heart before mine?
I only ask
because you did
such a good job
stealing my heart —
perhaps you've had
some practice.

4/2/02010

Another gushy love poem. It seems a pattern.

Poem #81

I'm so glad that you're my bride.
It makes me feel so good inside.

4/1/02010

A very dopey gushy love poem, unambiguously aimed at my darling wife.

Poem #80

One million kisses
are not nearly enough to
show you how much love

3/31/02010

A gushy love haiku.

Poem #79

If you walk a thousand miles
and your feet end up as nubs,
how will you find smiles?
Where will I place rubs?

3/30/02010

Poem #78

Sometimes your hands are so cold
it feels as if they will freeze me.
Sometimes the pollen's so strong
it makes me really quite sneezy.

I would rather have you touch me
than practice blowing my nose,
even if it means I'll be cold
from my head right down to my toes.

3/29/02010

Poem #77

If you ever love me,
I hope today's the day.
Yesterday's already gone.
Tomorrow's far away.

3/28/02010

Poem #76

Your smile is delightful,
which rhymes with frightful
…a word that just doesn't apply.
I think you're terrific,
which rhymes with horrific
…you'll never end up if you try.

3/28/02010

Poem #75

I fell fast asleep last night
and wasted away the time
when I should have done what's right
and sent you a lovely rhyme.

3/28/02010

I missed composing a poem on the 27th of March. I made up for it by composing three on the 28th. This is the first of those.

Poem #74

You have an extraordinary talent
for voicing a
"meanwhile…back at the Hall of Justice".
It makes me sad
that you never exercise it
any more.
It is one thing I miss
about the you
you used to share
with me
and no longer
do.

3/26/02010

A sad poem about longing for something my darling wife used to do to amuse me and has ceased to do.

In case you don't get the pop culture reference, there used to be a Saturday morning cartoon on the teevee about the DC superheroes. There was this narrator who used to say, "meanwhile…back at the Hall of Justice". Beth used to do a spot-on impersonation of said narrator.

Poem #73

I will love you
till the stars come home;
till the cows fall from the sky.

3/25/02010

See what I did there?

Poem #72

I hope when you dream of a happier future
those dreams will still include me.
Whenever I picture the decades ahead,
by your side is where I want to be.

3/24/02010

Yet another gushy love poem.

Poem #71

Perhaps eventually you'll know
just how far I would travel
to let our endless loving grow
and not let it unravel.
3/23/02010

Poem #70

I always try to tell you
but it comes out sounding weak…
our love is like a mountain…
like the highest-ever peak.

3/22/02010

Poem #69

What if I told you
that my knees go weak
when you kiss me
as you do sometimes
when you love me?

3/21/02010

Poem #68

I'm glad that you found me.
Oh yes I am!
I like you much better
than raspberry jam.

I love you. I love you!
I love you so true.
More than clear skies
love to be blue.

3/20/02010

You guessed it! Another gushy love poem.

Poem #67

I don't want a baby,
not even if it's small,
not even a quiet one
that knows how to crawl.

I don't want a baby
no matter how clever,
even if it's cute
and works a mean lever.

I don't want a baby,
no matter how smart,
talking in sentences
right from the start.

3/19/02010

One of the things Beth and I have always been in agreement on is our desire to not have children. Babies can be amusing in their finest moments. But they're really hard to deal with on a long-term basis. Even the best baby in the world has more downside, in my view, than upside.

Poem #66

You know,
I've been thinking
that if we weren't
already married,
I would get down
on one knee and
propose
(to you, of course).

3/18/02010

Gushy.

Poem #65

I think of you pleasurably
and love you immeasurably.
3/17/02010

Succinct.

Poem #64

Your shoes may be fancy,
your dress may be smart.
Don't call me Nancy
and I won't call you Bart.

3/16/02010

Not a gushy love poem!

Poem #63

You stole my heart
and now it's yours.
I like thin mints.
You like s'mores.

3/15/02010

Girl Scout Thin Mints are, objectively speaking, nature's perfect food. My darling wife likes the marshmallowy "goodness" of s'mores. Enough said.

Poem #62

I forgot my contact lenses
and my glasses got foggy
but I could still picture your face.

3/14/02010

My job requires that I spend time in walk-in freezers. When I wear my glasses, they fog up upon exiting. This is the whole reason why I got contact lenses. Some days I forget to wear them. This poem was composed on one such day.

Poem #61

When our dog barks
and our others do too
I still feel a spark
when I think of you.

3/13/02010

Sometimes I look at one of these and think "this was a particularly weak effort". Such is the case here.

Poem #60

I feel lonesome,
I feel blue
when I don't get
time with you.

3/12/02010

Poem #59

I love the way you laugh
when you think of something funny.
I'm glad you don't complain
when your eggs turn out all runny.

3/11/02010

Sort of an odd little gushy love poem.

Poem #58

If I could have you love me
for just another day,
I would be quite lucky
in the most wonderful way.

If I could have you love me
for just another week,
I'll be lucky in a way
that I could never speak.

If I could have you love me
for just one month more,
my luck would fill me
all throughout my core.

If I could have you love me
for the rest of the year,
I would be so lucky;
of that you should be clear.

If I could have you love me
for the rest of my life,
I would be the luckiest;
perhaps you'd stay my wife.

3/10/02010

Another gushy love poem.

Poem #57

Food with lots of spice
can be quite nice.
When it's way too hot,
nice it is not.

3/9/02010

I had probably cooked something that ended up overly spicy the night before I wrote this one. At least it's not a gushy love poem for a change.

Poem #56

I don't like that I'm so much
more trouble than I'm worth.
You deserve so much better,
the best on the Earth.

3/9/02010

I have this little self-worth problem.

Poem #55

I sometimes lose track
of the distinction between
a sheep and a lamb,
but I'm not confused
about ewe.

3/7/02010

I am opposed, in principle, to the pun. But sometimes I resort to using it anyway. Shame on me!

Poem #54

Your delicate fingers
are lovely to watch
as they tap out
their messages
on clicking keys,
destined for deciphering
by far off friends.

3/6/02010

A rare love poem about typing.

Poem #53

Walking hand in hand with you
down life's serpentine path
is every bit as wonderful
as the most luxurious bath.

3/6/02010

Poem #52

At the ocean's edge,
the lapping of the waves
is a whispering
of my love for you.

3/6/02010

This one is quite similar to its immediate predecessor.

Poem #51

When the wind blows
through the treetops,
it makes a rustling whisper
confirming my love for you.

3/4/02010

A gushy love poem that doesn't even rhyme.

Poem #50

Indian food for lunch
will be much better than a carrot.
Or at least that's my hunch.
I wish I could be there to share it.

3/3/02010

This was on a day when Beth went with Jen to Concord. They went to lunch at an Indian restaurant, which made me a bit jealous. Lucky for me, my darling wife brought back some leftovers for my enjoyment.

Poem #49

Flying cars are not here yet.
In the future, they'll be I bet.

Talking dogs, you'll never find
except perhaps deep in your mind.

Some things likely, some things un-,
bets are lost and bets are won.

One unlikelihood already true:
lucky me gets love from you.

3/2/02010

This one doesn't really look like a gushy love poem until you get to the end. And there it is!

Poem #48

If you wore a sweater,
perhaps you would feel better.
At least you might be warm
even during a storm.

But if you're on a boat,
you should consider a coat.
Out there on the high seas,
the wind's more than just a breeze.

3/1/02010

This one's not a gushy love poem!

Poem #47

Your face is home to some of my favorite parts
including my favorite cheeks.
I think we've had among the very best of starts:
great years and months and days and weeks.

2/28/02010

And another gushy love poem.

Poem #46

Shoes and socks and pants and shirts
are things that you can wear.

Pinching, poking, teasing, taunting:
things that I can bear.

Loving, hugging, kissing, laughing:
things that we can share.

Everything that makes you you:
things that make me care.

2/27/02010

Yet another gushy love poem.

Poem #45

A rabbit may be quick.
A pony may be pretty.
I'm glad you didn't pick
a home inside a city.

2/26/02010

I am regularly thankful that we moved to the middle of nowhere, New Hampshire. The lack of crowds, the lack of traffic, the clean air. All of these things are wonderful! Beth found our house by shopping on the internet. We fell in love with the building and probably would have bought it even if it were in Concord or Manchester. But it isn't, and I am glad for that.

Poem #44

I wish I could show you
what you let me see:
happiness, loveliness, infinity.

2/25/02010

Poem #43

Your face is why I
open my eyes each morning
to seek happiness

2/24/02010

A haiku.

Poem #42

Relaxation trumps frustration
only when you get it.
Complication trumps elation
only if you let it.

2/23/02010

Either this was written during a week when Beth was suffering from some frustration at work or it was simply an exercise in rhyme. I really can't recall.

Poem #41

When I am sick,
I try not to kiss you.
I give you some space.
I leave you a buffer.
This is a trick,
but there is an issue:
my lips miss your face
in hopes you won't suffer.

2/22/02010

I must have been suffering from a cold when I wrote this one.

Poem #40

Your smallest part
is dear to my heart,
even if that part is shrinking.
Your funniest twitches
have had me in stitches,
so I'm glad you practised your winking.

2/21/02010

My darling wife was in the process of losing lots of weight. As of now, she's down by a bit more than 140 lbs. and is very nearly at her goal. She's amazing! So that's what the reference to shrinking parts is about.

The winking reference has to do with her having learned to wink, through practice, since we met. It's not a natural act for her, so it's still awkward. She knows not to pretend that it's a natural act. So she's not prone to using it in public and accidentally creeping people out with it. That's a good thing.

Poem #39

I wish I could give you much more than I'm able…
a husband with all of the charm of Clark Gable,
a great fancy chair at a great fancy table,
your very own horse in its very own stable,
a heroic role in a wonderful fable.

2/20/02010

Five rhyming words. I think this would be my record holder even if I hadn't resorted to using a celebrity's name. For those of you who are too young to know who Clark Gable is, you have the internet. Look him up!

Poem #38

If I took all of your kisses
and put them in a vault,
you could hardly blame me.
Really, not my fault.

I treasure all those kisses.
They're more than I could earn.
The trick to ever deserving them
is more than I can learn.

2/19/02010

Poem #37

I love your eyes
with their ever-changing hues.
I love that you love me
even if it's just a ruse.

I love the turned up curls
at the corners of your smile.
I'm glad that you've loved me
even if just for a while.

2/18/02010

There's my famous insecurity rearing its ugly head.

I'm really shocked at how many of these are love poems! If you're sticking around waiting for something that doesn't fit into that category, I admire your persistence. We'll get there. Eventually.

Poem #36

Roses are red.
Pansies are pink.
I love you more
than you ever think.

2/17/02010

Formulaic, no?

You got a problem with that?

Poem #35

When you touch me
with frozen hands,
it's always nice;
not because I like the cold
but because I love your caress.

2/16/02010

Sometimes my darling wife's hands are freezing! Here I've acknowledged that.

Poem #34

I have loved you ever since
you were younger.
I will love you even when
you are older.
You are older now than
I was when we fell in love.
But I will never be younger
than you are now.

2/15/02010

Not my best. I'm pretty confident in saying that.

Poem #33

I is for the infinite love I have for you.

L is for the lips you let me kiss you on.
O is for your ojos. (That translates to "eyes".)
V is for the vision that you put in mine.
E is for enjoying all my time with you.

Y is for yesterdays and tomorrows, too.
O is for only you, who are my lovely wife.
U is for unique. (That's what you are.)

2/14/02010

An acrostic. Why not? I'm trying to keep up a one-a-day pace here!

Poem #32

I have noticed recently
that I have started
to laugh like you,
with no intention
of doing so.
I guess you influence
me in ways I never
would have anticipated.

2/13/02010

A true story. And the thing is that if you asked me to consciously mimic Beth's laugh without having just heard it, I would be unable to do so. But when I hear it, I know it. Even when I hear it from myself.

Poem #31

This may sound corny and sappy
— as if I'm taking you for a ride —
when they ask me how to be happy,
the best response I can provide
— better than puppy breath —
has to do with my wife:
Be sure to marry Beth
— my trick for the happiest life.

2/12/02010

Another gushy love poem.

Poem #30

A penguin will fly through the water;
a pelican flies through the air;
you've flown as far as Texas;
but an emu can't fly anywhere.

2/11/02010

Beth was quick to point out that she has flown farther than to Texas. The flight to Las Vegas brought her even farther from home. Oh well! It wouldn't change the rhyme scheme or the meaning of the poem. Still, I feel as if I should present the original wording of the poem even if it's flawed.

Poem #29

with your history
of throwing games
of miniature golf
with the intention
of making me more confident
in my ability
to hold my own
with you, I sometimes wonder
whether you have chosen
to surrender anything
of your identity
to try
to make yourself fit
into some notion
of what you think I am looking for.
I hope not.

2/10/02010

On our first vacation together [when Beth was my boss; long before I had any idea that we would end up together romantically and long after she claims to have known that we would marry], we went miniature golfing. I got terribly upset at discovering that she wasn't competing to the best of her ability and was, instead, playing intentionally ineptly. This was some silly misguided ploy of hers. Something to do with believing that men can't be comfortable with losing in sporting competition to women. She wanted my ego to come away unbruised, as I understand it. Ridiculous!

Poem #28

Jewelry has metals
and flowers have petals,
and some people like them a lot.
But one thing that's true,
sure as Elmer's makes glue:
they just don't have what you've got.

2/9/02010

I think this may be among my best.

Poem #27

When the sky falls out from beneath my feet
and the ground is too high up to touch
you'll still always be my magnetic true north
where I'll find you, I love you that much.

2/8/02010

See what I did there? Not too shabby, I think.

Poem #26

I researched my condition.
Why consult a physician?
This is my diagnosis:
chilblains. Good is my prognosis!
I know this poem is not so romantic.
At least there's no reason to get frantic.
My toes will not fall off my feet!
Maybe you'll think that's sweet.

2/7/02010

I've recovered. Hooray!

Poem #25

I'll be dead by morning,
with hardly any warning.
Sharing my final day
with you is the only way
I would go if I had my say.

2/6/02010

This was when I had a mysterious ailment causing problems with my feet. Hence, the speculation about my impending death. Not to worry. I didn't die that night. For the diagnosis and prognosis, check out tomorrow's poem.

Poem #24

I love you without regret.
I hope you do not forget.
I love you without remorse.
I hope you don't want a horse.
I love you with plenty of reason.
I hope you don't think that's treason.

2/5/02010

Poem #23

Remember that time you told me a joke?
I remember the time you gave me a poke.
Remember the time when you sang me a song?
I remember one time when I sang along.
Remember the time when you drove a car?
I remember hoping you wouldn't go far.
Remember that time when I wrote you a verse?
You might've thought it couldn't get worse.

2/4/02010

Poem #22

When I wake up in the morning
and discover that I have been sleeping on my side
I take stock of my brain
to see which parts have not
leaked out through my ear.
I am always most pleased to discover
that the parts dedicated to loving you
are still firmly in place,
right where they belong.

2/3/02010

The backstory: I have a horrible memory. This has long been a bit of a private joke with my darling wife. One day, years ago, I said something about how my brain must have leaked out of my head while I was sleeping on my side. I was very proud of myself for formulating such a clever idea. But Beth told me that it was not actually my own original idea. According to her, it was something she had said about me some time earlier. Though I have absolutely no recollection of her version of the idea's origin. Like I said, I have a horrible memory.

Poem #21

If I were able to fly
to the stratosphere
of my own power,
I would only ever try
to bring myself near
to you, my flower.

2/2/02010

I'm especially proud of what I did with the rhyme scheme here. Say mean things if you like. But the worst you can do is to crush my spirit.

Poem #20

Maybe
every step I ever walk
and every word I ever talk
and every stroke I ever swam
and every me I ever am
are especially for you.

2/1/02010

I like the structure of this one. Two rhyming pairs sandwiched between a couple of "free verse" lines.

Poem #19

What is the value of a poem
compared to the tender touch
of my lips on your slumbering cheek?

1/31/02010

The haiku variation:

what worth is a verse
compared to the tender touch
of lips to your cheek?

I like the haiku variation more than the original.

Poem #18

Tomorrow is the next day
when today's been lost in time…
lost except in memory
when I was glad you're mine.

1/30/02010

I don't think this one's worded particularly well. Plus it involves forced rhyme. Not my finest moment.

Poem #17

Just as the tallest branches touch the distant sky,
so does my love reach to you wherever you are.

1/29/02010

I'm really sappy, no?

Poem #16

Your smile is the best part of my day.
Or maybe it's your touch.
Perhaps it's your kiss.
But I suppose it might be your laugh.
I guess it might be your voice.
You are the best part of my day.
Every day.

1/28/02010

Back to gushy. This one's sort of linked with #10. I'll let you decide which you think is better.

Poem #15

It made me so sad when you busted your knee.
I'm glad that you've enjoyed a recovery.
I hope you won't need to resort to crutches
to escape from your arch enemy's clutches.

1/27/02010

My darling wife dislocated her patella, which was horribly painful. This poem was a celebration of her recovery from that injury. This one's not particularly gushy, I think.

Poem #14

You are the center of my orbit.
Without your pull,
I would fly off
in some random direction,
aimless,
lost
forever.

1/26/02010

What's this? Two consecutive non-rhyming poems! Just hold on a while and soon we'll get to one of those poems that isn't a gushy love poem. Really. It's coming.

Poem #13

How, I wonder,
did you prove susceptible
to my charms — such as they are,
weak and ill-fitting.

1/25/02010

Lookee here: a poem that doesn't rhyme!

This one holds special interest for me because of the final punctuation. I could have gone with a question mark, but I chose to go with a period. I take the view that the ", I wonder," brings it out of the interrogative realm and puts it into the declarative realm. Do you agree or disagree?

Poem #12

I know of the long years that you have spent waiting
to see me drunk on liquor, wine, or beer.
But what I think is much more intoxicating
is feeling and knowing that you are near.

1/24/02010

I'm pretty much a teetotaler, in case you don't know. Beth's never seen me drunk. Actually, nobody's ever seen me drunk. But Beth has long been curious as to how I would behave drunk.

I think this is one of my most successful poems. It has nice rhymes, but it has narrative integrity, so it doesn't seem (at least in my opinion) like I was stretching to make the rhymes work.

Poem #11

How long will you love me?
I always wonder.
Will it outlast the rain?
Will it outlast the thunder?

I hope it will last
till the end of my life.
I will love you forever,
my beautiful wife.

1/23/02010

I like this one from a structural standpoint.

Poem #10

Friday is the day when I most wish I could spend my life with you.
Friday is the day when I am most thrilled that you married me.
Friday is the day when I am happiest to see your smiling face.
Friday is the day when I most want to hear your voice and to feel your hugging.
Friday is the day when I most desperately long for your kisses.
…Until Saturday arrives.

01/22/02010

I'm pretty sure that January 22 was a Friday this year.

Poem #9

When snow falls on your head
I get to see
how you might look
when your hair turns white.

When you crawl into bed
I get to be
a lucky schnook
after day turns to night.

1/21/02010

Schnook!

Poem #8

The farther you roam,
the farther you stray,
the farther from home
'long the rarely trod way;
the farther I'll chase,
the farther I'll follow,
the farther the place
where I'll meet you tomorrow.

1/20/02010

I didn't realise just how many of these poems are gushy love poems until I started posting them to my blog. Eventually we'll get to some poems that do not fit into that category. I promise.

Poem #7

I live life afraid of attack from a pickle.
I don't understand why you're so hard to tickle.
I still wouldn't trade just a one of your pinches
for ball in my hand with third down and just inches.

1/19/02010

I am disgusted by pickles. Beth has been known to chase me around with them, threatening to touch me with them. She's also extraordinarily resistant to tickling. She also used to pinch me quite a lot. Not so much recently. I kind of miss it, actually. The key to perfect harmony would be for her to pinch me, but not so hard that it hurts! The football reference was nothing but a stretch for a rhyme.

Poem #6

If you walk through a garden
and trample a flower,
is that better or worse
than wasting an hour?

I'm glad for the hours
you've wasted with me.
I think they've been better
than planting a tree.

1/18/02010

Structurally, this one relates to number 4, but I think it's better.

Poem #5

You fill me with love
like your legs fill your pants;
like your hand fills your glove;
like your joy fills your dance.

1/17/02010

Still a little funny. But I think this was a bit of a better effort than the last one.

Poem #4

If you rhyme with a saint
but not with a sinner,
you're more likely paint
than leftover dinner.

I still love your nose
and I still love your knees.
I still love your toes
and you sometimes say please.

1/16/02010

Getting a little funny. Not my best effort, for sure. But perhaps it has its charms.

Poem #3

I love that you're funny.
I love that you're kind.
I love that you're you.
I hope you don't mind.

1/15/02010

Another gushy love poem. I warned you.

Poem #2

Roses are red.
Daffodils are yellow.
I love you more than the finest green Jello.

1/14/02010

I actually initially mistyped "yellow" as "blue". I sent the poem that way before realising my mistake and sending a correction.

The Poem-a-Day Portion of Our Program, Day One.

On January 13 of this year, for no particularly important reason, I sent the following poem to my darling wife via text message:

I love you.
I miss you.
I want to hug and kiss you.

The poem, simple as it was, was made up on the spur of the moment while I was at work.

I quickly followed it with another text message saying something along the lines of "that was your poem for the day". Having sent the followup message, it somehow seemed appropriate to send a second poem the next day. And so I did.

Then I kept going. For eight months [so far], I've been sending Beth a new poem on a [mostly] daily basis. I won't claim the resulting poems amount to high art. In fact, I will claim just the opposite. But I think that every once in a while there is a gem or a nugget that makes the exercise seem pretty worthwhile, from the standpoint of the practice of writing.

Often, the poems have been downright lousy. Still, for me, the point of the exercise has been a romantic notion. I think it's a pretty sweet thing to do for my wife. Perhaps you disagree. That's okay.

Usually, the poems are very short, but sometimes I get ambitious. Mostly they rhyme, but sometimes they take the form of a haiku. Occasionally, I'll throw in something less structured. And I might even have composed a limerick or two.

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From time to time, when it occurs to me that my blogging has become shamefully rare, I decide to take on some new strategy for increasing the frequency of my posts. Usually, these strategies last only a short while and then I get lazy again. Well, I have a new strategy and I think it will last longer than most — largely because I already have the raw material all ready to go. So, with the permission of my darling wife [thanks to you, Beth!], I'm embarking on a new phase of The Repeal of Gravity Blog: It is now becoming a poem-a-day blog. Today is day one.

I probably won't provide a commentary for all of the poems. Perhaps not even for most. But at least the poems themselves will be available for a new post each day for the foreseeable future.

I hope you will enjoy them, even if most of them are gushy love poems. [Some of you may actually like that aspect, for all I know.] As always, feedback is welcome and encouraged. Historically, my blog has been one that really does not get many comments at all. If I'm really lucky, this will be the strategy that changes that. We'll see. It's all up to you.

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Two additional notes:

1) Part of why I am doing this is in hopes that it will be an inspiration for somebody else. I don't necessarily care whether anyone takes up the challenge of trying to write a daily poem. Do whatever interests you, if you so choose. Just take away from this exercise the idea that it's possible to do things that you might not believe you have in you. All you have to do is try. [Although If you take this as inspiration for doing something to add a bit more romance to the world, I would be especially honored.]

2) Another part of why I am doing this is because my longtime friend Birdie asked me on Facebook whether my "stuff" was published. It isn't, but at least this way I get to share it with her and anyone else who cares to read it. I have a hunch Janelle may appreciate it too.

Inarticulate Babbling About Bigotry

As this ninth anniversary of September 11, 02001 approached, I spent a lot of time listening to "news" programming on the Sirius while I drove around for work. I have been deeply upset about the overt bigotry that's been dominating the discourse over the last several weeks. This past week, it occurred to me that it's been over a quarter of a year since I posted anything to my blog. That, in itself is a shame. In light of the mood that's overtaken the country, it seems especially a shame that my most recent post was about having participated in Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.

Don't get me wrong. I am proud to have participated in Everybody Draw Mohammed Day. I think it was a meaningful event, and I think that it was, at least in my case [and, frankly, in its origins], a properly directed protest. Its aim had something to do with saying "intolerance is not welcome", "bullying is not acceptable", "threats against freedom of expression are unacceptable".

The problem, in this case, is that my participation in Everybody Draw Mohammed Day might be misconstrued as me being on the wrong side of the sickening Islamophobia that seems to be sweeping the nation.

Shortly after the event, I sought out internet postings showing drawings that were produced by other participants. I didn't spend much time at it, as I was disgusted by most of the first images I found. Far from being drawn in the spirit of protest against extremism, the drawings I found were examples of extremism. Far from being either respectful, helpful, or respectable; the drawings I found were made with clear intent to be disrespectful, hurtful, and [shamefully] undeserving of respect. I would post links to some of these images, but frankly I don't want to be part of exposing a larger audience to that sort of filth. I'm not even going to describe what I saw, because it was largely an affront to human creative endeavor.

Still, I will not disavow or renounce my participation.

I am, to this day, proud of my participation and I am proud of the drawings I produced on that day. And it turns out that participation in Everybody Draw Mohammed Day rekindled in me my love for charcoal drawing. Because I drew Mohammed, I realised that charcoal drawing is important to me and that I want to do it more. So after years of not doing something that I love, I have taken up my old hobby, which brings me some joy.

I hope that my Mohammed drawings were seen as being respectful. They were not intended to offend anyone's reasonable sense of decency. The only offense that was intended was an offense towards extremism, intolerance, and hatred.

Now, I don't pretend that there's anything I can say here that's going to change anyone's mind about recent "news" events. I know I am not an "opinion leader". I am not charismatic. I am not compelling or especially eloquent. Still, I think it's important to voice my opinions. Not because I can singlehandedly sway the discourse, but rather because my voice may add to a chorus that might [with enough voices] sway the zeitgeist.

Back in May, I was unable to imagine that just a few short months later I'd be living in an America where not only is bigotry widespread [this may always have been the case] but where it is socially tolerated, allowed to be boldly expressed without the majority standing up and saying "that's unacceptable".

I am thinking here of two specific issues that have been dominating the discourse recently. First is this business about the "Ground Zero Mosque", which is not a mosque and is not at Ground Zero. Ultimately, the whole kerfuffle amounts to one thing and one thing only: bigotry against Islam/Muslims. We hear all sorts of people yammering about the various ways they're choosing to couch the discussion in ways that seem like it's not about bigotry.

There's the absurd "where's the money coming from?" angle. Absolutely irrelevant! Nobody, and certainly nobody with a national television audience, is investigating the financing of anybody's Evangelical Christian church (or megachurch), although the nutjob apocalypse-boosterism that is built into that whole movement is every bit as radical and dangerous as the nutjob jihadism that is a [small, if vocal] part of the Islamic world. The differences worth pointing out here are (1) the nutjob apocalypse-boosterism has influence over a very significant and rapidly growing percentage of America's elected offices (which makes it significantly more of a threat to our way of life inside the borders of this nation) and (2) the nutjob apocalypse-boosterism finds its home under the socially acceptable umbrella of "Christianity", which gives it much more leeway for radicalism without scrutiny than is afforded to Islam.

There's also the "we're not bigots, we just think there should be understanding for the sensitivities of the 9/11 victims' families" angle. Again, absurd. If the families are bigoted, OK. Let them be bigoted. But don't come to their defense as if the bigotry isn't bigotry just because they happen to be victims. It is easy to draw a theoretical parallel to a majority-white community in which somebody has been a victim of a crime committed by a black person. Or, for that matter, a majority-black community in which somebody has been a victim of a crime committed by a white person. If this crime should act as a trigger for racism in some segment of the community, would any sensible person be standing up in support of that racism? Would any sensible person be saying "it's perfectly reasonable and absolutely acceptable to project your feelings towards the criminal onto his/her entire race" and "we need to take sensitivity for your racism into account in determining whether it's acceptable to build a church in this community that will draw its membership primarily from members of that minority race"? I don't think so. And I really hope not.

The second issue I've been thinking about is this idiot pastor who threatened to burn a bunch of Korans. This is a bit of a trickier issue, isn't it? It's a free speech issue, isn't it? How can I be all in favor of Everybody Draw Mohammed Day while being opposed to this Koran burning idea? It's hard to put my finger on it exactly. I think it's something like this: The difference is between on the one hand [Everybody Draw Mohammed Day] saying "you can't impose your religion on me" and on the other hand [Koran burning] saying "your religion is unwelcome here in my country". Yeah, I think that's a fair way of stating the difference.

I will not allow you to tell me, because you believe in some particular superstition, how I am and how I am not allowed to act. But I also will not tell you that you are not my countryman, my neighbor, my equal just because you choose to live your life in accordance with your particular superstition.

This country, at its best, is a country that is founded on the idea that you are allowed to believe in whatever superstitious nonsense you choose, but that you do not have the right to impose that superstitious nonsense on anyone who does not believe it. "Freedom of religion" is the phrase we use to sum that idea up. And it's one of the core principles of this nation. The Koran burning that the nutjob pastor was proposing was antithetical to that. It was based on hatred, intolerance, and bigotry. And it was all about bullying and trying to restrict freedom of religion. And we need to do what we can to ensure that his attitude is not allowed to become mainstream.

Maybe we can build a respectable zeitgeist.

Everybody Draw Mohammed Day

I participated in Everybody Draw Mohammed Day on May 20, 02010 by drawing Mohammed thrice…not because I am ignorant, immature, or xenophobic; but because I believe that while there is a universal right to be offended by substantially harmless things that other people do, the acceptable options as regards recourse to any such offense DO NOT include violence or threats of violence!

"Stick Figure Mohammed"

"Mohammed, In From the Cold", or "Mohammed Ponders a Cup"

"Mohammed Basks in the Darkness"

In order, these are the three Mohammed drawings I did today. The first is a pencil sketch, which I basically did to ensure that I would have something to show even if the rest of my day was unproductive. The second is the first charcoal drawing I've done in probably 15 years. The third is the second charcoal drawing I've done in the same time span.

A Series of Self-Cancelling, Lovely Paradoxes

The established pattern of my thought processes is that I get funny notions into my head and sort of let them stew in there for a while, for no apparent reason and with no obvious trigger. Such has been the case with what I present today. This won't be structured and it likely won't be pretty. Think of it as a philosophical doodle—just a sloppy sketch that may or may not contain a kernel of something worth pursuing in a more formal structure at some point.

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Based on what we generally know about physics [not including quantum mechanics, which very few of us have any reasonable conception of], it seems to me that a perfectly sane person might reasonably conclude the following: If we could accurately model the position, spin, direction, and velocity of every particle in the universe at any given moment, it would be theoretically possible to plug that data all into an imaginary supercomputer and predict with perfect accuracy the exact state of everything at any future point in time.

This has to do with inevitability [a sane, if faulty, notion]. It does not have anything to do with predestination [an insane notion, that happens to be widely held thanks to the human animal's almost unlimited capacity for belief in religion].

Tinkering

I've been playing a bit with my blog's design recently. I'm in the process of porting it over to a different host and I am using that as an excuse to alter the looks of the thing. The old version can still be found (for now) at http://www.repealofgravity.com/blog and the new version can be found at http://blog.repealofgravity.com.

If you have the old version bookmarked and want to keep current, please update your bookmark. The old location is not going to be updated any more. I expect that it will go away at some point also. I've been trying to figure out a way to set up a 301 Redirect, but so far with no success.

Anyway, if you have any comments about the changes in layout, I'd be interested in hearing them. The revamping is still very much in flux. I've changed the background about a half dozen times in about the last three days. At the moment, I'm pleased with what I've come up with. But there's absolutely no guarantee that I will not end up changing it again.

Victory Is Mine!

I went to see the doctor this morning to get my latest cholesterol test results. He said my numbers are all good! This is a big victory. [The only number he was at all concerned about was a slightly low CBC, but when I explained that I regularly donate blood products and had just donated two units of platelets and a unit of plasma a few days before my blood draw, that concern was completely dismissed.]

I read him a list of all the various things I have been doing to improve my health and he said at multiple times that what I've done is "huge". He said he would give me 4 gold stars if he had them. He was very encouraged and thinks that I seem to be on a path to long term and sustainable goodness. He said it's very rare for anybody to take his advice as I have done. And he said he doesn't need to see me again for a year.