I was afraid that your love for me would wane.
And I was afraid that it would be because of me,
Because of our children,
Because of you.
I was afraid that you would think of U’rself as just another adjective.
Uncared for. Unloved. Unwanted. Undesirable.
I was afraid that you would label yourself as just another mother.
And I was waiting for those words of doubt,
As to whether I had taken a younger lover,
Blonde, slim and seductive,
Not at all like you are now.

I too was afraid.
Afraid that you would stop loving me,
Afraid that your smile would one day fly past me,
Leave me behind, to sway gently in its wake.
Afraid that your beauty, without bounds,
Would drive others to desire you,
Light the dwindling fires of our later years.
I was afraid that your voluptuous curves,
Would one day steal my smile and give it to another.
Afraid I would never dwell in the warmth of your body
Forever and a day.

Yes, I was afraid.
I was afraid I loved you too much.
I was afraid of the consequences,
That my smile didn’t linger long enough for you to notice,
That my touch would deny those goosebumps
Their moment of glory,
That my kiss would not excite you,
Would not tingle and tease your senses,
Hold you still, teetering on the edge of expectation.
I was afraid that my body did not fit like it once did.
That our minds didn’t desire feelings of abandonment.

You made me realise how wrong I could be.
How much our kisses ignited those leftover sparks,
And how much my fingertips excited and teased.
Your goosebumps erupting on your velvet skin,
Taught me how to feel and how to be felt.
Helped by those three simple words of love, and a rose.
I can see it now, the erupting smile, the pursed lips, the desire.
You made me realise there is no other,
There could be no other,
That in all of eternity…
I could never get enough of you.