We've Got History

by Alice Woodrome

on our 39th Anniversary ...

You knew the naive girl of eighteen,
Excited by city lights
seen through small-town eyes.
I knew the confident college boy
With a hint of country ways,
Brimming with plans for tomorrow.

Together we tasted the passions of youth
And taught each other about love.
We made a daughter and a son
And went about our separate tasks
Of making a home and being a family.

Our youth slipped away
while we worked and dreamed.
We clashed at times,
as strong wills often do—
And sometimes we wondered
if it was worth it all.

There were successes
and some failures, too—
and frustrations along the way.
We watched together as old dreams died
And new ones began to grow.
And we both grew wiser and gray.

The two of us have seen more
than a couple ought to see.
Hand in hand we watched, heartbroken,
As they buried our youngest child—
Along with our innocence and joy.
Shattered and torn–but not apart,
We cried in each other's arms
and looked for reasons to go on.

Reasons were hard to come by, though
When our last child lost her way.
We searched for hope and for answers.
And we grieved for what should have been.
But together we found a way to help
And how to live and love again.

We might have made it
without one another,
But I'm glad we didn't try.
We've got history—you and I.