I lie with you beneath this willow tree;
Whose iridescent branches hide us here,
And listen to the shrieks of surfers, free,
Unfettered by the burdens that we bear.
This gift of time allows my thoughts to ease.
I sigh; relax and watch you drift away,
Enchanted by the shadows of the leaves,
That dance upon your face in gleeful play.
I slow my heart to beat in time with yours,
And marvel at each gentle breath you take;
Soon feel the rising swell of inner shores,
And turn my back upon ‘that’ distant ache.
For in this magic place no worldly strife,
Can take away our love as man and wife.
Mandy Edwards ©
I wrote this poem one beautiful Sunday morning after my husband and I escaped the children for a while to spend time together at Lake Wanaka.
Our life together had not been easy; four children in quick succession and me losing all sense of myself in the all-consuming roles of ‘wife’ and ‘mother.’ Living in isolated farming communities and moving around so much, left me unsure of myself; fearful and powerless until I decided one day that there “had to be more to life than this.”
And of course, there ‘is’ and ‘was’ and the “distant ache” in the poem and in my solar plexus, is there to remind me to have big dreams for myself!
Yet, marriage also brings these ‘magic moments’ where you can forget your troubles for a while and marvel at the beauty of another human being who desires to be your constant companion in life.
Relationships are hard work (especially marriage) and it tends to be the women who put aside their dreams. But I realise now how important it is for my children to see me studying for a new career, writing stories and poetry, daring to express my spirituality – and in the last 18 months running and biking and swimming my way into fitness and good health.
Illustration by Amelia Hamilton
