Curtis Jerry Smothers - Freelance Blogger/Tutor/Poet
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All You Need is Love
Here is a group of some of the love poems I've written over the years. When I'm not waxing philosophical, I'm usually writing about my wife and best friend....
Love and Marriage
A May-September Romance
A September to Remember
Come sit down beside me,
Love of my life
And I’ll tell you the difference
Between lover and wife
I know I have known you,
Love of my life
Three score happy years
As my friend and my wife
But first we were lovers
Love of my life
The surfeit of passion
Sharp like a knife
A relationship carnal
Life of our love
Joined us together
In passion’s sweet trove
And then came our children
Pride of our life
Begat by that passion
Sometimes with strife
We struggled and raised them
Their lives of our pride
They grew up, big children
Like the wrinkles we hide
And so what is the difference,
My lover and friend
Now passion’s subsided
And egos’ times end?
No longer young lovers
More husband, sweet spouse
Our is love a mansion
It’s memory’s house
And I’ll love you forever
Love of my life
In fact there’s no difference
Between lover and wife
He met her on the Plaka steps
On the way to Parthenon,
His ship at quiet anchor
In Athens’ calm Med sun.
She followed him to Naples,
Where they lingered at Capri,
And fueled by wine and pasta,
They feasted sensually.
Along the sunny coast of France,
Beneath the Cannes warm sun,
They laughed at carefree topless nymphs
While time began to run.
In Spanish Barcelona,
On the Ramblas' promenade,
They dined on wined paella
And time’s fleeing demigod
Their final port was Lisbon,
With Mateus and balmy night;
They kissed goodbye in sadness
And vowed again to write.
May slipped into September
On that Med cruise long ago
With wine, romance, and Rosa
—A joy true sailors know
The one September I remember
Of all that's passed away
Was when I met my true best friend
My wife, that is to say
Skating ice in Queensway London
Going aimless round and round
I saw her fixing up her skates
Eyes focused on the ground
I
left that aimless skating flock
And approached her warily
I asked her if she'd like to skate
She nodded timidly
She gripped my gloved hand shyly
As we joined the round rink's queue
The organ played a tinny tune
My heartbeat fluttered too
She smiled and talked and charmed me
And we skated round and round
But this time not so aimlessly
With this treasure I had found
The rest that came is history
Anniversaries to remember
Tho' advancing age hung up my skates
I still have that September
Forgiveness
I know about forgiveness
For I have wronged as well
It's the nature of withholding
That lets resentment dwell
As I have asked forgiveness
I've learned to grant it, too
For in ways we can touch others
Love's openings are few
We tend to bank forgiveness
Like some precious, hoarded treasureI
t's the stuff resentment feeds on
Self-pity's shameful pleasure
I have sought forgiveness
Of wrongs beyond redemption
And those that loved me granted it
With love, without exemption
As I withheld forgiveness
For wrongs against me given
I have wallowed in the hatred
Tormented, soul unshriven
When I learned to grant forgiveness
I began to see design
To wrong is wholly human
But forgiveness is divine
Unrequited Love
If I could only have you
As a treasure that I own
I'd be your own true castle
My heart your one true throne
But I could never own you
It’s your soul that makes you free
But there are things that I could borrow
To make you notice me
​
They are the things that you deny me
But give out readily
Your gaze, your fond attention
And the smile not meant for me
But though I can never have you
I am your silent slave
And that sweet and bitter knowledge
I'll take me to my grave
Because I know that you don't know me
And always must I share
The things that you give freely
To everyone, everywhere
It's the grief that you don't love me
Overflowing yet incomplete
I know that you need no one
You are total, all complete
But I beg you to consider
Lest it break my cracking heart
The sum of unrequited love
Is greater than one part
One part is meant for giving
The other is for lending
Another wholly rigid
Yet another just for blending
The last part is the loving
Someone more than just myself
Knowing that love's treasure
Is greater than any wealth
​
Yes,I know that I won't own you
I won't even try
But I surrender so completely
I'm yours until I die
