---

It Means a Lot to Me…

While some look for easy answers,

you thirst for knowledge

and seek truth.

While some are at war with themselves

and their neighbors,

you live in peace.

Some struggle to keep track of their lies.

You simply tell the truth…

You have my trust!

You say you love me

and show it every day.

I love you too.

Though life is filled with challenges,

you face each day with good humor,

a smile, a joke, and a wink.

If I am sad, you make me smile.

When good things happen to me,

you share my joy.

When something breaks, you fix it.

I never have to do the dishes alone…

That means a lot to me.

You were not born to make me happy,

but every day is a happy day

because I’m with you.

I don’t believe in fate, but it does seem

to me that we were made

for each other.

Robert, wishing you lots of happiness

on your seventy-third birthday

and always.

Love, Cheryl ❤

---

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

---

Presence

Present with me or

absent from me, you are

always in my thoughts.

However long I may live,

I will always feel you near.

---

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

Photo by Jonathan Petit from Unsplash

---

Summer Rain

We laughed in the rain

as we walked to the oak tree

half a century ago.

Stolen kiss in summer rain…

I hope life’s been good to you!

---

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

---

Hearts to You ❤

Hearts to you, WordPress Family!

You are empathetic and kind,

characterized by warm hearts

and open minds.

Perceptive and thoughtful,

in touch with your muses,

writing words of wisdom

that creativity infuses.

Photos and videos illuminate

humanity, nature, historical attractions.

Music is a multicolored source

of daily satisfactions.

Hearts to you, fellow bloggers,

you mean a lot to me.

Happy Valentine’s Day

to my WordPress family!

May the love and joy

you give away

return to you

each and every day.

May all of your dreams

and wishes come true

May all of your endeavors

bring success to you.

---

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

---

Roses are Red ❤

Roses are red,

violets are blue.

I’ve always wanted

a Valentine like you!

Roses are yellow,

violets are white.

I’ll put on my red dress…

We’re going out tonight!

Roses are pink,

violets are yellow.

I’m your kind of girl…

You’re my kind of fellow!

---

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

---

Happy Valentine’s Day, Robert! ❤

Going out is postponed until after the pandemic,

but we will enjoy a cozy dinner at home!

---

In Celebration of Home

Learning

rythm of place,

the passage of time here.

Ever-changing seasons roll by…

one year.

Mindful,

we have lived here,

sleeping, dreaming, waking

in a world of endless wonders,

our home.

Grateful

for sun rising

and setting in splendor,

waxing and waning of the moon,

bright stars.

Peaceful

domain of green woods,

play of light and shadow.

Whispers of breezes, songs of birds

soothe us.

Wisdom

from wild creatures

making their living here

in profusion of simple joys.

Serene.

Peace lives

under our roof.

Love lives within our walls.

Windows frame nature’s spectacle…

souls soar!

Our home…

solace from cares,

sphere of the mind and heart;

dreams and desires find fulfillment

within.

---

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

---

Although we had planned never to move again, we left our beloved home near the beach and moved inland to escape red tide. This poem celebrates one year in our new home as of February 17, 2021.

---

How Long is Forever?

Dear One,

epitome

of patience and kindness,

will you stay with me forever?

Love me.

Promise

me forever…

tenderness and passion,

undying love and loyalty.

Love me.

How long

is forever?

Much longer than never…

an indeterminate journey...

Love me.

---

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia

---

Happy New Year,

Wonderful Fellow Bloggers!

Things have gotten a little crazy here!

I am taking a break

and will do my best to catch up on my emails.

See you in 2021. ❤ ❤ ❤

---

Love Flourishes

Timeless memories,

shared hopes for our tomorrows,

we live in the now.

Our energy wanes.

Wit is replaced by wisdom.

Our love flourishes.

Love lights the twilight.

In winter’s chill, we are warmed

by each other’s gaze.

---

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia

---

Happy New Year!

❤ ❤ ❤

After six happy years together, we are making it official. We plan to be married in 2021 after the pandemic ends, probably late summer.

We wish you all the joys of the season and a peaceful and prosperous 2021. May love light your life and warm your heart! ❤ ❤ ❤

---

Great Discoveries of Love

Like Galileo looking at stars and planets

through his telescope,

I see the light in your eyes.

Just as dinosaur bones are found

buried in rock strata,

we discover a love as old as time.

Like Gregor Mendel’s

cross-pollinated peas,

our love is expressed in varied colors.

Just as Leeuwenhoek found the miracle

of microscopic life in pond water,

we find life’s wonders in ordinary things.

As cosmonaut Valentina Tereskova

explored outer space,

we explore the inner spaces of our minds.

Like the “forty-niners”

mining for gold in California,

I find my treasures in your heart.

As Gandhi changed the world

through nonviolent means,

we live in peace.

As Florence Nightingale

made hospitals survivable,

we take care of each other.

Oil from wells in Titusville

brought new energy to the world,

Likewise, you energize me.

Like Jaques Cousteau,

diving deep into the oceans,

we explore the depths of feeling.

As Sir Edmund Hillary’s expedition

climbed to the peak of Everest,

we climb the heights of inspiration.

Even as Pompeii

was buried by Vesuvius,

we will soon be buried.

I hope, when we are discovered

under the ash and hardened lava,

I will still be holding your hand.

---

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia