Marital Bliss Collage

marrital bliss collage

(A sample of some of my favorite verse celebrating sacred romance.)

Under his forming hands a Creature grew

Manlike but different sex, so lovely fair,

That what seemed fair in all the world seem’d now

Mean, or in her summ’d up, in her contained

And in her looks, from that time infused

Sweetness into my heart unfelt before,

And into all things from her Air inspir’d

The spirit of love and amorous delight.

She disappeared and left me dark, I wak’d

To find her, or forever to deplore

Her loss, and other pleasures all abjure

When out of hope, behold her not far off,

Such as I saw her in my dream adorn’d

With what all Earth or Heaven could bestow

To make her amiable: On she came

Led by her heav’nly maker, though unseen

And guided by His voice, nor uninform’d

Of nuptial Sanctity and marital Rights:

Grace was in all her steps, and Heav’n in her Eye

And every gesture dignity and love.

John Milton – Paradise Lost. (sliver)

In marriage, one of the deepest and most ethereal mysteries in all of life is demystified before our very eyes, For when we get married, love itself comes to live with us. That thing we have been chasing ever since we were old enough to believe (however naively) that it must or could be sought, has taken off all its cloths and stretched itself out on our very own bed, and announced that it is here to stay. Suddenly the thing we believed to be characterized above all else by its elusiveness turn out to be not elusive at all, but just the opposite. That which was unapproachable becomes that which cannot be got rid of. What was most glamorous and exciting seems to insist, now, on being the most ordinary thing in the world. It is like the philosophical question about the dog chasing the car, which is—What happens if he catches it. Marriage faces us squarely with the problem of love once we have finally caught it. Or rather, once it has caught us. For marriage is a trap of pure love. (Mike Mason – the Mystery of Marriage -One of the top ten books in the history of the world)

On getting hooked , or--Real title: Bait (an excerpt)

Let others freeze with angling reeds,

And cut their legs with shells and weeds,

Or treacherously poor fish beset,

With stangling snare, or windowy net.

Let coarse bold hands from slim nest

The bedded fish in banks out-wrest

Or curious traitors, sleeve-silk flies

Bewitched poor fishes wandering eyes.

For thou, thou need’st no such deceit,

For thou thyself art thine own bait;

That fish, that is not catch’d thereby

Alas! Is wiser far than I.

John Donne

I want to lay your body down

And make this earth our bed

Pull the flax and tangerine

Up over our heads.

Or maybe winter’s just like me

With “bitter patience” and restraint

Waiting for some perfect moment

To throw off all restraint.

Jan Krist Lyric from “Waiting for the Cosmic shoe to fall”

Album: Outposts of the Counter Culture.

Sun rises and we talk about the weather
Sun bleaches and we ponder it all
The fine line between the banker and the debtor --
And what happens if the satellites fall
Too shy we are to come right out and say it
Too sly to let the other one know
Head full of this kaleidoscope of brain-freight
Heart full of something simple and slow

Love is not the only thing
It's the best thing
Love is never everything
But it's the best thing

Let's go up on the roof beneath the neon
Pretend we're foreigners and drink the city in
Somewhere between the stairwell and the starlight
I find myself holding your hand
Half-cousins to the angels and the demons
Half-brother to the fatherless sons
I lay awake and wonder at the reasons
One kiss and I am lost in your charms

Mark Heard (From the Album Satellite Sky -- The third finest album in the history of the world.)

There are three things that are too wonderful for me

Yea four that I know not:

The way of an eagle in the sky

The way of a serpent on a rock

The way of the ship in the midst of the sea

And the way of a man with a maiden

(Agur, Book of Proverbs 30: 18-19)

He is the way,

Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness;

You will see rare beasts, and have unique

adventures.

He is the Truth

Seek Him in the Kingdom of Anxiety;

You will come to a great city that has

expected your return for years.

He is the Life

Love Him in the world of Flesh;

And at your marriage all its occasions shall

dance for joy.

W.H. Auden

Thigpen’s Wedding:

Here I set my face unto you,

Here I speak my hearts true vow

Here I choose to walk beside you

loving only you, my heart speaks true

forever more from now

I will love you in the morning

and in the bright noon day.

I will love you in the even’.

Every day I live, my heart I’ll give.

I will love you from my grave.

I have heard God in your laughter

I have seen Him on you face

and its clear now what He’s after

for He wrote your name on my heart

in flame.

It’s a wound I’ll not erase.

We will mount the wings of morning

We will fly before the wind

We will dwell within the mystery

of the glories of Jehovah’s love

a circle without end.

We will pitch our tents toward Zion

in the Shadow of His Love

We will covenant between us.

We will covenant with the earth below

and with heaven up above.

We will covenant with the dust below

and the Spirit up above.

Kemper Crabb, from the album the Vigil

written for the Thigpen’s but borrowed for the wedding of Kirk and Kerry Jordan

(Thanks Kemper--hope we didn’t break the law)

And Adam

knew his wife…

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you …

(Song fragment, My Fair Lady)