Marriage

/ Daniel Swearingen


“After all these years, I see that I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; it is better to live outside the Garden with her than inside it without her.” – Mark Twain

Our marriage is like a shelter.

Our marriage is as Don Quixote heaped with scorn.

Our marriage is like a great man o’ war with sails unfurled.

Our marriage is as “Allegri Miserere” performed at 3:00 A.M.

Our marriage is abstract before concept, a dismissed preposition, built upon an article of fact.

Our marriage is like a shelter. Our marriage is like a shelter.

There is a falling angel with eyes like glass, bringing fire for our journey to the world we cast. For we float on many waters of times to come, and we search each other’s motives with an iron rung. For we are one, under this shelter, we are one.

I wake, eyes wide, from smoky dreams, of tattered wings falling from beams. I wake in morning of the year’s just past, I harbor that vision of yesterday, dwelling my eyes, upwards while kneeling as to pray. What there does fall, and consume rare air, fall at fifteen past two before the altar stair. Just the years before, before my words “I shall”. How it warmed my face with a bit of touch, then brushed right past me to a bridal veil.

Those years before, when I looked up high in a sanctuary and saw no sky. Imperceptible in quiet, below, rafters’ brown in tongue and groove, flew a rarer angel who with burning glass eyes flew. Came a lustrous fire upon the gentle head, swaying to my side, such a beautiful head. In all those words strung by to and fro, a lighter rhyme off our tongues they flow. Written by earth bound hands and spoke with ease, now they mark my soul a façade I see. Now in this morning of the years just past. Something in those rafters reaching so fast.

For it seems the years before brought something new. Not the voices inside, the ones I always knew. But a visual aspiration, from a king’s held cup. A curse or a blessing, but it is always enough. A premonition that would lose its way floating through the years of marriage until it was almost decayed. Once or twice to rise, when forgotten enough, just a kind reminder, of the host with wings above. To speak clear words in the dust and binge, when the modern worlds about us, and we cannot remember why or when. The shelter of sorrow, with hands held close, our entwined fingers tighter than if they were sewn. And if I look just up above, toward the ethereal of heaven, where most see a dove. For I see a raven with fire in its beak headed towards kingdoms for those we yet seek. What comes to me just as that first day, when I said, “I shall”, and two in one we came away.

There is a falling angel with eyes like glass, bringing fire for our journey to the world we cast. For we float on many waters of times to come, and we search each other’s motives with an iron rung. For we are one, under this shelter, we are one.

Our marriage is like a shelter. Our marriage is like a shelter.

For Susan who has put up with me for 26 years under the glassy eyes of the angel. – 03.13.2019 – דָנִיֵּאל

77 thoughts on “Marriage”

  4. Daniel “Marriage is incredible, your words have a flow that paints your relationship through the years as one that is tougher than nails with all that has come against the two of you . The key you have stood locked hand in hand as one. Thank you. A ❤

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  6. Dear Daniel, I read this beautiful dedication to your marriage many times. It is filled with so many great phrases. My favorite is as follows. “Our marriage is abstract before concept, a dismissed preposition, built upon an article of fact.” It is filled with many layers of meaning, all wonderful. ❤ ❤ ❤

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  8. Dearest Daniel,
    It seems the longest time since I have commented. Unfortunately I have been terribly ill over the past month. (it happens to us when we are aged) Still I had to raise myself up to comment on this beautiful sonnet. The words touched me as I thought back upon the dear and sometimes tearful years I had with my own Edward.There was also laughter as well. I miss him so many times even now. Thank you for this lovely memory. ❤ Ruby

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  10. Daniel, this post sings, it comes off the page of my laptop alive, and tells of the wonders of relationships strong enough to withstand great storms. Bonds that form shelter. Truly one of your best contributions to date.
    Wang

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  16. My brother, there are so many good and thoughtful parts to this piece on marriage. Your post in my mind is a metaphor for Hashem’s relationship with us. So very powerful and enduring. You have touched me greatly with this piece. Shalom and blessings to your wife and yourself my friend. Den

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