Anniversary Ode

I wrote this poem for Jeff for our anniversary and I thought I'd share it for the mushes out there :)  I can't believe it's been a year since our wedding already, and I'm pleasantly surprised to fall more in love with my hubs every day that goes by.

Amazing how fast a year goes
All I have to do is close my eyes
And I can still feel the cold wind upon my cheeks
Tempered by searing autumn sunlight
Leaves in our backyard prematurely stripped from their summer homes
Rustled against a hem of scalloped lace

I didn't feel a wink of hesitation
A lick of trepidation
A butterfly of nerve
I couldn't get down that aisle fast enough
I would have sprinted there
Anytime you asked me to
I've always been yours

Our first year together as husband and wife passed by in bliss
As lovely as the first four but with a hint of magic in the air
Now when you dance me in circles in the kitchen you say
"I love you, wife!"
When I hold your big left hand in my little right one
I feel the cool familiar promise of your wedding ring
Lives, hearts and even bank accounts merged (ahh!)
Our lives becoming even more deeply intertwined than they were

So here we are
Two people, growing together
Vines* twisting up a sun-dappled trellice
Moving slowly together, dancing in circles
Anticipating the other's move, and shifting to support their weight
Holding each other up, ensuring a strong bond, built to last a life
Or any cold winter that might come to pass

I hear "marriage takes work!!!"
"The honeymoon doesn't last forever!!"
"Talk to me about it again in 10 years!!"
I can't help it - I still laugh - I don't GET IT!
Because every moment with you is a moment more easy than one without
Because you bring magic to the simplest tiles of time
Because you don't just pick me up when I'm down:
You live with one hand on the small of my back, never letting me hit the ground, no matter what
Because your twinkly green eyes are always smiling
Because your kind heart is always giving
Because you are you
Perfect for me
Perfect together
I know it will always be so

What a wonderful year it's been
From the Cliffs of Moher, to Giant's Causeway
To cheering on our Leafs, our Marlies (in the cup final!),
From renovating a living room in simply record time
To demolishing a wall (oh what a mess..)
From Niagara Falls to Niagara on the Lake
From Carden Alvar to Pelee Island
From cooking in the kitchen, to enjoying a fire on the deck
To countless mornings reading the paper on the couch
And evenings snuggling in bed
Tough days, to great days, to wonderful days

I couldn't have asked for anything more
I love you for now, forever, for always, and will until the end of time
Happy Anniversary, my love

*not Dog-strangling!!