for a husby on his birthday

From 2005...

 

I.


on your dizzy day you

twice walked into car doors

popped your tyre on a brick wall

spilt red sauce on my bed

and you always know the

lyrics of cheesy songs

break out your whiteboy house dance or

go computer crazy

and when you fall asleep

you run fast in your dreams

like sleeping dogs that bound across

spring parks to bury bones

and i laugh at the joke

that lingers on your lips

like a sideways smile or pillow

fight you started but weren't

stealthy enough to end

without a scratch on the face or

blue bruise that you cover

with a scarf tomorrow

II.


you shoulder at the door

my ear strains from downstairs

genteel modulation murmurs

"how are you?" i hear

and then you wander down

recline to wait for me

and in your patience turn a page

scan momentarily

musing mannerism rests

your hand upon your face

a gentleman in walls of books

your settled state of grace

as figurantes emerge

through steam clouds so do i

you greet me with a half smile

reserve behind your eye

like a maestro modest

starts slow when pressed to play

and beneath crescendos music

he'll soon with flair convey

To now...

Not quite a poem, just a few words:

What a gentle father.

What a loving husband.

What a good man.

Happy birthday Husby!

I love you.