When I sat down to decide on a topic for this week’s post, I naturally considered the holiday that we in the U.S., as well as several other countries, will celebrate tomorrow, Valentine’s Day.  I considered discussing famous pairings from TV or movies, or famous lines from romantic movies, but in the end I decided to do something a little more original.

I blame the craziness surrounding me right now; I’m making plans for my daughter’s college graduation (!) and we’re getting the house in shape to receive out-of-state relatives.  On top of that, my husband’s on a business trip this week , and won’t be home until after Valentine’s.   I decided to work out my stress by putting pen to paper, and this was the result.

I don’t share original prose on this site very often, and this is the first piece of poetry I’ve written in years.  I will admit to being inspired by a book I just finished by my friend Christy Birmingham.  See a link to my review of Versions of the Self here.

This is dedicated to Steve.

A Lack of Words

I want to write down

Exactly what you mean to me

But all the love songs I’ve

ever heard,

And all the lines from movies I’ve

ever seen,

Crowd out the voice in my head.

How do I express

exactly what I feel

when I can’t find words

to encompass

everything you are?

How I depend on you,

how I need you,

how much a part of me

you are.

Nothing I can say will ever be enough.

Nothing I write

will ever contain what I feel.

Words fail me

when it comes to

only you.

-Amy Caudill