A revised "Exchange"

Another of my old poems that I recently sent Marie was "Exchange". I explained what I remembered of the background to it (not that much any more) and she had several things to say.

One was that if she and I had married way back in college, I could easily have written this about her. Also that if you put this beside a poem she did write in college -- all about how she couldn't talk to me or tell me anything about how she felt about me -- you see DISASTER written all over the relationship. So it's no wonder it never worked back then ... we both had a shitload of growing up to do first.

And then, a day later -- as she was on her way to visit me for the trip I just described yesterday -- she sent me an extension. An updated and slightly revised version, as follows:


Exchange

My love, he speaks me wisdom,
thought with keen-eyed clarity.
My love, he sings me verses
of immortal poetry.
His kiss bursts into passion
and the flames to heaven leap.
But then he slips to silence,
and the silence cuts me deep.

His wisdom finds me grateful –
such a mind with such a heart!
His songs I meet with rhyming,
my small baby steps at art.
From his passion I take fire,
as to burn myself away.
But silence turns me sullen,
and I cruelly silent stay.

My love may speak me wisdom,
but he says I do the same.
My love may sing me verses,
but we each can start that game.
Wrestling soul and body,
we ascend to passion's peak --
so when either one goes silent,
may I be the first to speak. 


What can I say? Very flattering ....