Taking Forever One Day at a Time

I love

the way you return from errands

with a present – a Danish, book, or bottle

of champagne

how you thank me for every meal 

from coq au vin to a ham sandwich

and make coworkers think 

I’m Julia Child

hearing your voice in conversation 

downstairs before realizing 

that you’re talking to the cats

 in the same serious tone you use 

with plumbers

how you told me I was funny long before 

anyone else did

that time in France when I said our waiter 

looked like Orlando Bloom and you answered 

then we’ll have to come back tomorrow

the fun of reading a book you’ve just finished

and finding oops! duh! or what a jerk!

penciled in the margin

the way you reach for my hand

before crossing the street 

how you describe every dark-eyed

brunette – she looks like you – no matter

how silver I go.

No wonder forty years have sneaked by.

© 2019 Alarie Tennille. First published in Minute Magazine