The Depth of an Emptied Dishwasher

It's poem-posting time again and today, you get a love poem.  Let's all say it together now....ahhhhhh.

This is one of my very favorites from my Master's portfolio, mostly because every time I read it, it helps remind me just how lucky in love I am, even on those days (and we all have them) when we're not feeling quite so loving.

Big-gesture Love

For Ryan

I wished a lover would graffiti

my name on the underside

of a bridge or fill my house

with thornless purple roses

after our first big fight.

I always wanted the proposal

at a sold-out baseball game—

our faces large as houses

on the jumbotron

when I said Yes.

I wished for big-gesture love

and got you—

the one who warms my blanket

in the dryer before bed, stays

up all night when our baby

is sick with croup, and always

lets me choose our Friday night rental.

I wished for my name written

into a song’s chorus

before I knew the depth

of an emptied dishwasher.