POETRY WEDNESDAY: YOU ARE WITH ME

This is a poem I wrote after I met my future husband five years ago (and future father of my three children). We were separated by hundreds of miles at the time, I lived in London, he in Cork. It was heart-wrenching to be so far apart but it was such an uplifting time that it felt like we were always connected, even when separated by distance. I read it out to our families at our wedding ceremony four years ago as we made our own vows to each other. I was thinking of it again this week because he's been away working in Dublin.

YOU ARE WITH ME
 

I waited for you and you came
And now you are always with me.
As the day turns into fire
I see you in a cloudless sky.
You are the occasional leaf
Trembling in the cheerful breeze
Fiery among the autumn colours
Caught in the sharp shimmer of sun.
You appear in the river
As it churns to the sea
In every waking breath
A delectable surprise.
I feel you everywhere
Again and again, unexpecting
Unconditional, unflappable.
My dreams are born
In your glittering eyes.
And in your cave of protection
I find sanctuary from life's storms.
So when the biting rain descends
I'm soothed with a smile and a kiss
A beat of our heart, a breath-taking look.
My kindred, twin spirit
Sent to strengthen and thrill me
A legacy of hope and happiness
In adoration's precious kiss
You are my antidote
To a life of heartache and loneliness
In your eyes I see my future
A monumental mystery for us to unfold

Our wedding day