For my wife on our 45th wedding anniversary.....

It was HOT the spring of 75,
	Nights would find me laying damp and clammy in the dark,
Drenched in sweat, the covers pushed off the bed, 
        Hoping for a breeze, that just never seemed to come.

The radio tuned to a FM station, WWCK105, Flint’s Best Rock,
        The throbbing beat and lines of verse filled the night and my mind.
My thoughts would drift into the air, mixing with the lyrics, forming an image,
	Fantasies of an unknown female danced behind my eyelids, enticing me.

Queen was telling me that she was my best friend,
	James Taylor preached how sweet it could be,
Captain & Tennille cooed that love would keep us together,
	Bad Company told me to feel like making love.

This vixen’s face was obscured, her facial features hidden,
	But the shape of her figure was fine, a body to die for.
My skin tingled as I imagined her soft touch, her moan in my ear,
	The assured sweetness of her kiss made me moan.

But I was a loner, an introvert, a looser if you will,
	There was no hope of tracking her down or being satisfied.
Afterall girls were alien beings, unapproachable, far out of my realm.
	They were to be admired and loved from afar, sat high on a pedestal.

As it turned out this enchantress was known to me,
	Her presence was weekly right in front of my eyes!
I had of course admired her, looking at her from afar, but didn’t think there was a chance.
         Luckily this good little ex-Catholic girl noticed me, and solicited me for a date!

Three years later we took our vows and were married, my life began.
	All those songs and lyrics coming from the airwaves came true.
Yes, yes, yes, she is my best friend and she made me live.
	And oh brother, how sweet it is to be loved by her.

I think about love and we certainly feel like making love,
	And yes, I looked into her heart and love has kept us together.
My girl, my lover, my confidant, my consort, my sidekick,
	My soul mate, my partner, my best friend, my wife.

Forty-five years of wedded bliss have passed in a blink.
	There were fights, arguments, raised voices and makeups.
Some misery, heartbreak and hurt feelings, but lots of good times.
	A few failures and misadventures, but never a fiasco, just a whole lot of success.

We have survived the years and bloomed, we’ve made it this far,
	The future is bright, radiant and still ours.
Cause I got you babe and babe, you got me,
	Together forever and ever and ever and...

Roy Richard July 2023