« Word Combination | Main | Very Evil Birthday »

July 29, 2005

A Love Poem

Wednesday's post about Christopher and what he eats for lunch reminded me of a great poem that Emily shared with me a while back. She was doing a reading at a wedding, and this was the poem the bride and groom asked her to present.

In my experience, most poems and songs used at big events (like weddings and funerals) get so passed around and overused that, even if they started out great, they end up steaming piles schlocky awfulness. Witness what has happened to Amazing Grace, a song that sends my hackles raising with the first strains (Incidently, let this be yet another method of me spreading the word: if the aforementioned song is played at my funeral, the person responsible will be harried, cursed, and generally haunted to a horrible end by my vengeful ghost. I'll bring in the Eumenides if I have to... I swear). But I digress.

This poem is simple and lovely and I think it really captures the essence of what really being in love can bring you; a sense of happiness about small things and appreciation for things you never would have noticed on your own.

Summons by Robert Francis

Keep me from going to sleep too soon
Or if I go to sleep too soon
Come wake me up. Come any hour
Of night. Come whistling up the road.
Stomp on the porch. Bang on the door.
Make me get out of bed and come
And let you in and light a light.
Tell me the northern lights are on
And make me look. Or tell me the clouds
Are doing something to the moon
They never did before, and show me.
See that I see. Talk to me till
I'm half as wide awake as you
And start to dress wondering why
I ever went to bed at all.
Tell me the walking is superb.
Not only tell me but persuade me.
You know I'm not too hard persuaded.

Posted by kyle at July 29, 2005 3:47 PM

Comments

I can't believe you associated Emily with a poem. She'll be mortfied.

Posted by: ted at August 2, 2005 9:17 AM