Our May 7 Poem by Bill Galvin

As I travel this sentimental journey,
A dreaded date silently approaches;
Like an unwanted appointment,
The calendar quietly encroaches
Upon my sensibility.

Reminder of all unneeded reminders;
Already I think of you every day.
I wonder what gesture will be appeasing,
The first time you’re not present to play
At our next anniversary.

Nature’s open arms try to console me;
She can heal my heart, tend to my tears;
But I am here because you are not,
And that’s when any comfort disappears
Into unsettling reality.

Relentless, the dark surf below this bluff;
As unabated as my feelings of loss;
I speak with the moon about meaning;
I look at sea and stars for the two of us
To the best of my ability.

May 7 will bring another challenge;
A toast, perhaps, to when we married?
To a life of love, trust, and honesty?
A salute to the courage you carried,
Be it sunny, cloudy, or foggy.

It’s the celebration of our commitment
To stay in each other’s heart and soul;
To prove why we were born to this world;
To love, support, sing, laugh, and stroll;
To accept what was meant to be.

I’ll take more care that day, because
I could be more dispirited and forlorn.
Bad enough a typical day without you,
But, when our lives were together sworn?
Maybe you could look in on me?
Maybe you could sit upon my knee?
We could lift a glass for posterity.
We could stir up such good memory.
I’m feeling better about this already.

May 7,1983, to February 11,2015, to now.

5-2-2015 (Dillon Beach, CA)