Sunday, June 19, 2011

Veneta Donaldson: "The Answer"


Veneta's husband, Clyde Donaldson, 1940s

Clyde was the great love of Veneta's life, but he appeared after many years of sadness on her part. As a young woman, she fell in love with a beau who for an unknown reason, left her, breaking her heart. Carrying on, she managed her grief while building a career for herself. Then in walked Clyde--one of the sweetest men on the planet. By the time they married, Veneta was 40 years old. Choosing not to have children, she and Clyde had a wonderful, devoted marriage for 30 years until he passed away.

The Answer
by Veneta Donaldson

Last night you said, "Darling, do you love me?"
And I could only nod my cradled head;
The lovely words were not upon my lips –
They were engraved upon my heart instead.

And then again you said, "Do you love me?"
Do I love you, who gave my heart a song,
Who recognized the sorrows of the years
And gently marshaled them where they belong.

Do I love you? If only I could tell
In glowing phrases what you've meant to me
Since first I glimpsed the beauty of this love
You could not then doubt my sincerity.


The next poem in this series can be found here: Old Houses.

This is part of a series of poems by Veneta Donaldson. A brief bio and the beginning of the series can be found here: Veneta Donaldson: A Poet in the Family.

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