Evening-Love Declaration Poem by STANLEY PACION

I lie on the bed here in our home.
On the TV screen,
I watch the DVD version of The Last Waltz.

Its music has its way with my heart.
An unmistakably warm and tender emotion floods up
Making me feel as if I am immersed,
That I swim in the waters of my fondness for you.

I see you through the open doorway.
You stand in the next room, working;
You inspect and prepare dresses,
Soon be packed away in luggage,
Merchandise you plan for sale on a trip abroad.

You have on your gray, cotton shorts,
The ones you usually wear around the house.
They have a single pink stripe on each side
And have a draw string front.

You wear a pale raspberry, V-necked t shirt.
Its short, tapered sleeves accent,
Complement your toned, narrow arms.
Its color favors your olive skin.

I must declare, I do,
I do love you, heart and soul, and, let’s not forget,
With every bit of energy my physical frame commands.

In the morning, even before prayer or daily reflection,
When we awake, I turn my head to you, and ask,
‘Have I told you how much I love you yet this morning? ’

Contracting your brow and pursing your lips,
You reply feigning a sense of hurt and say, “No! ”
And then I smilingly reply,
‘How much I love you yet this morning! ’

In the afternoon I ask the same.
While we drive about, and one-by-one check through
The list of our day’s business chores.
For the instant I stop the van, look to you and ask,
‘Darling, ’ I ask,
‘Have I told you how much I love you yet this afternoon? ’

You shake your head from side to side.
You answer my interrogative, “No! ”

And then I reply, dead-panned,
Seemingly daft, at a loss reason or even common sense.
I am aware that some one with a jealous ear
Might label me silly, or despite my years, immature.
Yet I speak direct,
True, my voice hearlds its source at the core of my being,
I intone, I say it straight ahead.
‘How much I love you yet this afternoon! ’

And now it is evening, and still, as always,
The questioning refrain remains the same.
And your answer to my query, now no different,
The same as your response had been earlier and before.

As for me, I must necessarily declare.
Actually I mean my declaration for all the world to know.

‘How much I love you yet this evening! ’