to say i love you

you say I love you
without even knowing what it means
on the drive home from your high school dance
and wonder where she came from

you say I love you
knees weak at the altar
and breathe a deep sigh of relief
driving away from the noise hand in hand

you say I love you
without making a sound
crawling into bed another late night on the job
careful not to wake her up

you say I love you
as the wrinkles come
while picking up wandering babies left and right
and setting 17 year olds back on their feet

you say I love you
as the sunsets brighten and fade in the sky
as the moon grows and shrinks once again
and you wonder how many she has left

you say I love you
when she can't remember your face
and you show her the pictures
and tell her their names, four times since 1 o'clock

you say I love you
as they roll her down the aisle past crumpled teary faces
to a place in the ground out of which she loved to bring life
next to a plot awaiting your leisure

you say I love you
to the empty pillow beside your own at night
and wonder how it could go by in the blink of an eye
and why it had to be her first and wish you had just one more chance

to say I love you
in a thousand different ways