What is Love?
By Sheryl Rosen Copyright 2/14/07. All Rights Reserved.  Dedicated to my daughters (and Allan);

What is Love?

My love is so many things
for you are my love
but not you alone.

My love is a splendor held dearly in hand
for too few moments
but always lingers in my heart.

My love is an ideal
for sometimes it is strong like a chain which can not be easily broken
but also can be stolen, lost or abandoned.

My love is life
for without it there is no beauty
nor meaning to any day.

To live, to laugh, to love
and be loved is my love.

Thank You, my love.

Well, 300 words to go...so much for poetry.  I'll have to be a bit more creative.  So, here it is: for New Years eve I had wanted to stay at home, alone with Allan.  I thought we'd dress up - me in a gown and he in a tux. I wanted to start a tradition. I wanted to dance to our own music (a player piano would do the job) and have our own fireworks at the stroke of midnight.  So what happened, you know, best laid plans? 

My daughter was driving me to Allan's home in the morning.  Soon as we entered the expressway, I-95 in Delray Beach, she totaled my car. As if that was not bad enough, my gown was soaked with coffee.  My mom and dad had to come fetch us while I watched my once beautiful, but old, Jag be towed away to the great junkyard (down the road).  It was about an hours drive, but Allan came to get me.  I was a wreck, and I relieved the accident over and over in my mind (we swerved across all four lanes and back again before crashing into the guardrail - it was quite scary). 

I could not dress for the evening. I could barely speak I was so exhausted.  Allan pulled out the good stuff; caviar and champagne along with some baked brie before deciding it was time to retire (the champagne took a quick toll as it does when one is overly distraught).  In the bedroom, I shed some more tear. I did not want 2009 to start off this way.....and that's when it came to me; if I didn't want to lose out on enjoying any part of 2009 I had best get with the program. I asked Allan to kiss me. He kissed me softly.  That was not what I thought best, so I asked him for another this time kissing him back quite hard.  He got the drift.   A while later when we looked up there were fireworks going off across the water, really someone had a fireworks display.  And so, 2009 started off perfectly. 

As to Valentine's day - it was somewhat the same.  I had decided on a pre-game event. I sprinkled flower peddles on the bed, and lit a candle.  We went for a nice dinner in town. I balked at the $23 martini and ordered a glass of wine instead.  We left the restaurant around 10PM noticing how the nightlife was just getting started.  It made us both realize that being middle aged meant that starting out after 10 no longer held much appeal. It made me remember the 70's were long gone.

On Sat. we could not return to Allan's home in Stuart early in the eve. We showered and went to a favorite restaurant, without a reservation after 9PM.  Fortunately we were seated within minutes, having missed the earlier crunch.  However, when we got our menus only special dinners could be had, not the regular meals we had both wanted.....so we left and got a pizza.  Pizza and champagne (the good stuff, btw) with the best company (this time we were somewhat dressed).  Itr was a great night again.

I've always liked the nightlife, but home is where the heart is.