A Love-Song For My Wife Poem by Gert Strydom

(after Ted Hughes)

In love they were the two of them
while it felt as if the past had formed them for each other,
as if the future was meant for them as a single unit called a couple.
Only for her kisses and her loving did he hunger
while she sucked, licked and bit at him.
She wanted to have him everywhere inside of her
as if he filled her to her throat,
as if they would be safe in each other,
as if they were meant to be together forever
and their cries of ecstasy went through the curtains,
went out to the wider world.

Her glance wanted to capture everything,
everything of his physical being,
his emotional makeup,
even his thoughts she wanted to keep safe
while her looks explored every bit of his body,
even his hands, wrists, fingers and nails.
His embraces pushed the air from her
almost as if she was lost from life
but nothing could drag them both away
from their intimate moments
and the only future was with them both in it
constantly together with each other
and it seemed as if no other kind of future could exist.
He wanted her in each and every moment
as if nothing else in life did matter
and even in the silences
when from reality he was gone
in dreams into a sea of nothingness
he still wanted her into that which do come after life
whatever it is.

Her embraces did imprint her on him
and sometimes they did cling together after making love
as if much more than their skins were stuck to each other
and she wanted him to be blood of her blood,
the breath in her lungs.
Her glances contained a world that was hidden,
a place where fairy tales did come true,
it was a place filled with happiness
where everything was perfect,
far away from the reality of sickness, hatred and death.
His smiles were spider webs that caught hold of her
and kept her constantly
to the time when he needed her company.
Her words were ambushes
from where she longed to occupy him,
his laughter were ringing in her ears
like the sweet songs of dozens of redbreasts
that was dancing in the rain.
His looks were filled with admiration
as if there was more of her to discover
and no secrets they kept from each other.
Her whispers constantly told him
all of her inner thoughts
while her kisses were sweeter than honey
and something of which he could not get enough of.
His caresses did cling to her
as if he was clinging on to life.
Their sexual encounters encompassed every way
that a man and woman had experience with each other
since the beginning of time
and their cries were so loud
that it almost lifted the roof,
did pass to the wider world
where the birds stopped twittering
and were enchanted while listening.
His promises he did constantly keep
and true to his word he was
while her promises did drive him wild
and they did bind with each other in bodies,
in experiences as if they had been knotted together
while both did realize that romance and attraction was great,
but greater still was the decision to love and to do so constantly
whatever may come along with destiny
and secrets they had with each other,
hidden almost magic things
that was special only to them
while with ecstasy their screams did penetrate everything.

At times intertwined and sometimes spooned,
at times just next to each other they slept
and at times dreamt of entirely the same things
as if love had made them to be only one.

[Reference: "Lovesong" by Ted Hughes.]

© Gert Strydom