Listening Experience

The little air kiss and shy smile

as you would round third base,

so young, so sweet, so quietly you,

a memory

like sunlight brushing my face.

Your calm, your warmth, your gentle ways,

a steady rhythm in my days.

You never chased the loud or grand,

simply loved with open hands.

Your arms, a safe place

for loved ones’ tears,

the way you showed up

through the years,

no spotlight needed, no demand,

just presence, truth, a loving hand.

I still remember

small feet beside mine,

your blanky in tow,

wherever you would go.

That curious mind

led your body to climb,

oh, the height you would scale

for an Oreo.

And then on a mountain

I saw you, a man.

Not a child, not a teen,

but a man in the wind.

Wildflowers bowed beneath your stride,

a soul grown deep, a heart held wide.

Now, a ring rests on your hand,

a vow is made; a life is planned.

You spoke the words I long had prayed

that one day, strong,

you would not evade.

Now a husband. Now a guide.

Partner and groom

to your lovely bride.

Yet, you are and always will

be every version I love still.

From baby boy with cap too big,

to the man who’ll hold her hand

through it all,

who’ll bring her peace when she is scared,

a silent presence who simply cares.

You are the tenderness you have shown,

the strength you gave, the way you have grown.

As you build this marriage new,

know part of me still walks with you.

Be bold.

Be kind.

Be soft.

Be strong.

Stand steady when the nights feel long.

When the winds begin to roam,

remember,

in my heart,

you are always home.