V E Day Poem by Owen Cullimore

That wonderful day in forty-five
Which made me feel glad to be alive
Returning home from across the sea
A chance meeting between you and me

Festivities raging in full swing
The feelings that living again will bring
I Looked across the crowded street
Saw someone looking Oh so sweet

In your uniform the nurses had worn
Slightly dirty, slightly torn
A lovely smile the captivated
Any man who would have waited

For your return to homely shores
That special person who soon would be yours
I did not know it would be me
All that beauty I could see

I smiled at you and dropped my pack
It made you laugh and look back
I plucked up courage just to try and see
If you would come for a drink with me

To my surprise you answered yes
From that moment on I would never guess
That love would smoulder for a while
I thought that you would run a mile

We danced the evening away until the dawning
At the Pallais Ballroom then in the morning
I took you home, not far away
And hoped I would see you another day

Next evening celebrations were still going strong
You would have thought that there had been nothing wrong
Least of all a six year war
That razed our county to the core

The rubble that used to be our street
Now flattened like a bedroom sheet
But no one cared no more wartime noise
Just people trying to regain prewar poise

Our first kiss I remember well
And it felt kinds swell
Your eyes were closed so I closed mine
Our arms wrapped tightly, it felt fine

You looked radiant despite the dust
I was shattered but felt I must
Keep you close away from harm
It must have been my magnetic charm

Not long later, a few dates more
I asked the question and I felt sure
You would say yes, which is what you did reply
We hugged and kissed which surprised a few people passing bye

I put the ring on your finger
And we named the day we did not linger
Married three months later to the day
You first smiled at me when you came my way.

After fifty years we are still together
It just proves that love can last forever
I still smile and laugh as I remember that day
When a beautiful angel came my way.