Stand By Me

"When the night is come and the land is dark.......
When the mountain should crumble to the sea....
No, I won't be afraid.......
No, I won't shed a tear.......
Oh darlin'....'long as you stand by me....."
(Ben E. King  1961)

We have sworn, one another
To stand
Feet fixed firmly in intent
We will stand
Leaving, forsaking all others
We will stand
I have your back, watching to protect you from the unseen
You walk in loyal vigilance against all who would come against us
Remaining planted in the blessings we see
Never trading them for possible blessing seen elsewhere
We are invested in the value each sees in the other
Against, if necessary, family
Against, if required, friends
Against, as needed, against all enemies
Each trusting his partner to seek that which is best
Not for himself alone
Not for the other alone
But for the whole, the all that we can be together
Leaving is but a step
Toward cleaving to one another
Becoming something else
Something other
Something never seen before in this world
Founded in fealty
Forged in the fires of testing
Joy and sorrow
Plenty and poverty
Dance and dying
Worship and weeping
Against all the forces that might crumble our mountain
Stand by me

Tonight We Made Love

Tonight we made love
Laughter and cheese sandwiches
Over a bowl of tomato soup
Thoughtful sharing of heart and mind
Deep thoughts
Footsie played across the span between chairs
I read aloud
She fixed my computer
Tender words
Shared from tender hearts
I love you
Proffered not after the heat of passion
But in the realization of truth
Arm in arm
Lip to lip
We hugged and held one another close
I did the dishes
She scolded the complaining pooch
She laughed at dumb jokes
I told her of my pride in her
Tonight we made love
Not in any sense of entwining bodies
Musky passion
Tonight we made love
In word and deed