Poetry
Diamonds
A poem by ©Christine Bode, 2023
(for my parents, Marilyn and Jurgen Bode, for their 60th wedding anniversary – April 6, 2023)
Wish I could give you diamonds
Another winter in Arizona
A worry-free retirement
Or a stellar trip to Roma
Wish I could pay for premium healthcare
Put luxury groceries on your table
Give you the Easter that you want
But unfortunately, I’m not able
Sixty years of wedlock is no small feat
Enduring more pain than most can beat
You couldn’t have known in 1963
The state of your union was a fait accompli
Wish I could give you diamonds
for your sixtieth anniversary
Or make a deal with doctors
To take your place in surgery
Wish I could resurrect Karen
So our family would be whole again
But that’s obviously not a part
Of your Creator’s divine plan
The love you share with each other
Saw you through good times and bad
And you never once complained
About what you didn’t have
Wish I could give you diamonds
Smoked oysters and their pearls
Sunshine and warmth every day
Victory flags to unfurl
Wish I could be the best of you
Throughout the thick and thin
But I’m afraid the mould was broken
By the plenitude of my sins
Your devotion sparkles like sunlight
On the river where you used to live
Your example of strength and resilience
Is not something I’ll relive
Wish I could give you diamonds
Frankincense and myrrh
And lavish you with the life
You most assuredly deserve
Wish I could give you everything
You don’t already have
But I know you’d have a hard time
Thinking of something else to add
You taught me very well
There’s only so much we can do
So I give you gratitude and love
From a heart that’s always true