Sonnet 61

by William Shakespeare

Is it thy will, thy image should keep open
My heavy eyelids to the weary night?
Dost thou desire my slumbers should be broken,
While shadows like to thee do mock my sight?
Is it thy spirit that thou send'st from thee
So far from home into my deeds to pry,
To find out shames and idle hours in me,
The scope and tenure of thy jealousy?
O no, thy love though much, is not so great,
It is my love that keeps mine eye awake,
Mine own true love that doth my rest defeat,
To play the watchman ever for thy sake.
     For thee watch I, whilst thou dost wake elsewhere,
     From me far off, with others all too near.

My Delight and Thy Delight

by Robert Bridges

My delight and thy delight
Walking, like two angels white
In the gardens of the night:
My desire and thy desire
twinning to a tongue of fire,
Leaping live, and laughing higher;
Thro' the everlasting strife
In the mystery of life.
Love, from whom the world begun,
Hath the secret of the sun.
Love can tell and love alone,
Whence the millions stars are strewn,
Why each atom knows its own,
How, in spite of woe and death,
Gay is life, and sweet is breath:
This he taught us, this we knew,
Happy in his science true,
Hand in hand as we stood
'Neath the shadows of the wood,
Heart to heart as we lay
In the dawning of the day.

I have no life but this

by Emily Dickinson

I have no life but this,
To lead it here;
Nor any death, but lest
Dispelled from there;
Nor tie to earths to come,
Nor action new,
Except through this extent,
The Realm of You!

I know him by heart

I'm a romantic... I still believe!

My dear friend Sandy sent me this song (by  - Jon Vezner, Paul Williams, sang by Vonda Shepeard) yesterday. I'd never heard it before, but it got stuck in my head, so I had to do something about it...

I know one thing that strucks something deep inside us BATB lovers is the concept of Vincent and Catherine as "soulmates", "bonded", or my favorite, quoting Carole - one of my best writers and friends - "twin flames." Who wouldn't want to have that kind of soul connection? I have my extra-synical days, mind you... but a bigger part of me keeps refusing to believe it's all just a fantasy. Comes with the package of being a romantic, I guess.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion, Sandy! I hope you enjoy it.



Look! Sandy's muse stopped by for a visit... and now we have a lovely vignette, Hold on, to go with the song; an expantion of "Once upon a time in the City of New York."

Love me

by Sara Teasdale

     Brown-thrush singing all day long
     In the leaves above me,
     Take my love this April song,
     "Love me, love me, love me!"
                    When he harkens what you say,
                    Bid him, lest he miss me,
                    Leave his work or leave his play,
                    And kiss me, kiss me, kiss me!