28 February 2004 9:03 pm
Sunshine Marble
A white rose covered with morning dew
Sparkles as crimson light of a spring sun
Refracts through transparent spheres and
Projects dappled rays upon gossamer petals.
Aroused by spring's morning essence
A turtle's head slowly emerges
And finds the white rose
Shimmering in spring's dawn.
The turtle warily approaches the shining rose;
As he nears a soft spring breeze blows
A sunshine marble from a petal which falls
And scares him back behind his staunch shield.
And he waits until another spring breeze
Gives him the courage to once again
Peek at the rose.
Cleveland, Ohio
1993
I wrote this poem for Carolyn very early on in our relationship. I presented it to her on Valentine's Day in 1993. I distinctly remember finessing the wording of the second to the last stanza in the recesses of Sears Library, which at the time was actually a library, on the Case campus. When we were married in 1999, we decided to share this poem with our family and friends. My brother read it during the ceremony and we included it in the program.
