I Met a Man – A Poem

I met a man who loved the sun,
I knew at once he was the one.
He said, I’ll take you far and wide,
If only you will be my bride.

I said “I do,” sealed with a kiss,
And we began our wedded bliss.
His word was true, and we did go
Around the country to and fro.

He loved to wander and explore.
We drove for miles, then drove some more.
We saw the US, east to west.
(The beaches we both loved the best.)

From north to south we saw the sights:
Seattle mornings, Texas nights,
From Tijuana to South Dakota,
And down from Maine to Sarasota.

We swam nude beaches, sipped fine wine,
Ate fresh lobster, drank moonshine.
From posh resort to cheap motel
(We saw things that I’ll never tell.)

He took me to the Cornwall coast
(The trip I think I loved the most),
So I could search my history.
He even toured graveyards with me!

The London tube, Parisian wine,
Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Rhine,
And Amsterdam we went to twice,
To tour canals and ride the bikes.

We saw the sights, we swam the sea,
The road our favorite place to be.
We never knew what we’d discover
On those adventures with my lover.

And so we roamed for years together
Until we hit some stormy weather:
The doctors said his time is through
He’s sick and he’ll be leaving you.

So one last time we hit the road
Down to a sunny beach abode.
We drove until we reached the shore
So we could swim and play once more.

And four months later he was gone,
And I was left to travel on,
To visit places on my own –
To see those places all alone.

I said, I’m through, I can’t go on.
My life is over. I’m all done.
Without my love, the fun is over;
I have no life without my lover.

I shut myself inside my home
No more would I go out to roam.
My love is gone, my love has died,
I need him traveling by my side.

But then I heard a little voice
That said, My love you have no choice.
I may be gone, but you’re still here,
And life is precious – live, my dear.

I didn’t choose to marry you
So you would quit when I was through.
So many places left to see
I want you to live life for me.

Next spring I knew what I must do.
(I knew that he would want me to.)
I got into my car one day,
And drove alone a long, long way.

I went back to our favorite spot:
The sunny beach we loved a lot.
And on the road, I felt him there.
I heard him whisper in my ear…

Go live your life; there’s more to see.
Wherever you go, I will be.
We’ll keep on traveling together.
My spirit’s in your heart, forever.

To Rick, my happy wanderer. You loved me completely and showed me the world.
– All my love, Gerry