Jingle Poetry has moved to a new site, and is now “The Gooseberry Garden”. The poem I’m posting today is a new one –I wrote it Friday–and is in response to the theme they’ve chosen this week, “Adam and Eve”. I think you might be surprised at what I’ve done with the topic. The poem is another one for Sherry, as we continue celebrating our life together. I hope you enjoy it.
This Eden
The date of our beginning together
Came and went last week
And it caused me to reflect once again
On something that has often crossed my mind
What if? I sometimes wonder
We had met when we were young
Would our years together now be forty or more
Would our love have been as great then
And what if our beginning had been the beginning
I wonder had you been Eve and I Adam
To have had the whole world and God’s awesome love
Just you and me with all creation to share
Would we have fallen to the serpent’s snare
Believed his lies and tricks
Perhaps it would have been so
But even then we would still have had each other
These dreams of what might have been
Though wonderful to think upon
Mean nothing, for now is all that matters
You and I forever in this Eden we’ve been given
Copyright © 2011 C. Mashburn
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Marbles In My Pocket ~ The Official Blog of Charles L. Mashburn ~ Poems, Short Stories, and random thoughts from the author of "Be Still... and know that I am God" 
Sherry Mashburn said
I sometimes wonder if any other couples have anything like we have, and I hope they do. The past sixteen years have been wonderful, and I love this “Eden” you have created for us here.
charlesmashburn said
Me too!
Jesse S. Mitchell said
wow. very nice work. I dig highly.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you! Your visit and comments are very much appreciated!
robin said
now is all that matters… 😉
charlesmashburn said
I agree! Thank you for the visit and comment!
Life: Between the lines said
Awwwwwwwwwww!!!! It says a lot to have wished to have met sooner just to hold each other longer, now that is really true love 🙂
LOVE IT!!!!!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Lyn! Your visit and sweet comments are so very much appreciated!
Anna Montgomery said
These dreams of what might have been
Though wonderful to think upon
Mean nothing, for now is all that matters
You and I forever in this Eden we’ve been given
Amen to that and congratulations on 16 happy years, may you celebrate many more.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the well wishes, Anna.
Your visit and nice comments are very much appreciated!
Wyoming Diva said
You and your wife sound like an amazing couple! Nicely written!
charlesmashburn said
We have a wonderful loving life together!
Thank you for the visit and comments!
Elyas Mulu Kiros said
Beautiful! 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the visit and comment!
booguloo said
Anniversaries are always great times for reflection and appreciation for one another. Happy, happy.
charlesmashburn said
Yes, they are, Michael!
Thank you for the visi, comment, and well wishes!
TheMsLvh said
Just beautiful! Your love pours out in this poem. Very nice. Loved the story!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you! I appreciate your comments very much!
aynsley7 said
Oh that is so sweet!
Perfection for the theme!
I’m so glad you and your Eve are so happy together 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Aynsley! I’m glad you visited and I appreciate your kind words!
terri0729 said
Charles, I really liked it! Beautiful thoughts, I think these types of things too. I’ve concluded that Mark and I got together at exactly the time that God intended and our love for each other would not be what it is had we met when we were younger. Blessings 🙂
charlesmashburn said
That is awesome, Terri. I wish everyone could experience the wonders of a truly devoted partner in this life. I am so happy to hear that you and Mark have found happiness with each other!
Thank you for the visit and wonderful comments!
Madeleine Begun Kane said
What a lovely poem!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Madeleine!
kez said
beautiful thank you x
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the visit and comment!
SiNA said
I like the whole idea of reflecting upon a love of yesterday’s. this in particular has captured that pretty well. Adam & Eve touch is real nice.
well done.
Sina
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Sina. I appreciate your visit and nice comments!
Kellie Elmore said
Beautiful. I like the thoughts you ponder here. We do indeed create our own Eden and it can be just as wonderful…and just as deceiving as well. Nice, lovely writing here. Enjoyed very much. Thank you.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Kellie! Your vistis and comments are always appreciated!
Padmavani said
Hello Charles
What a beautiful poem and it is a personal one too which adds to the poignancy. Sherry’s validation is the cherry on the cake. How absolutely adorable is this whole experience.
Loved it!
Padmavani
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, so much for the wonderful comments. They bless us tremendously!
caridwen said
Beautiful – what a great anniversary gift! :o)
charlesmashburn said
Yes, Cari (guessing that’s your name?) I do believe my wife enjoys being married to a poet (I use the term–poet–quite loosely, mind you).
Thank you for the visit and nice comment!
tigerbrite said
Just lovely.
bendedspoon said
sooo sweet of you 🙂
charlesmashburn said
I’m just an old softy, I reckon…
Thanks again B!
danroberson said
Charles, I wish you and Sherry the best. It seems you already have your Eden. Beautiful thoughts expressed in poetry.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the well wishes, Dan. We appreciate them very much. We are very happy.
Thanks for the visit, comments, and beautiful sentiments!
Inside the Mind of Isadora said
This is a wonderful and beautiful tribute to your wife and marriage. It fit well with the prompt. I enjoyed it very much.
Unforunately, marriages don’t always have a happy ending. I can atest to that with many friends and relatives; right before my eyes. I wrote about it back in July. Hope you don’t mind .. I will post it here for you in the event that you’d like to read it. Still working on my challenge ~~: – O
Happy Anniversary ….
Isadora
http://insidethemindofisadora.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/a-deeply-committed-life-together-and-gift-of-love
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much for the visit, comments and especially the well wishes. We both understand the fact that many marriages do not have happy endings. As you might guess, this is not our first.
I read and commented on your story. I like it and wish you and your husband many more years of happiness. Say the number proudly!
manicddaily said
Very sweet. Glad there’s no serpent!
charlesmashburn said
Oh, he’s passed by, but if he comes back, he’d best be wearing a really good disguise.
Thanks for the visit and nice comments!
Daydreamertoo said
Beautiful. I do believe in love and everything is the way that is is because it was meant to be this way. Apple or no apple. 🙂
Your love for each other is wonderful.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you so much for yur visit and wonderful comments! We appreciate it very much!
Mihir Vatsa said
Cute! Very romantic and pure. Cheers!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the visit and nice comment!
Pat Cegan said
charming, true and well done, what could be better! You, two are very blessed. Hugs, pat
charlesmashburn said
Your visit and wonderful comments are appreciated!
Fountains said
Yes, charming was the first word I thought of. This shows the innocent and romantic side of love.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the visit and Charming comment! Very much appreciated!
the Cello Strings said
magical and sweet.
keep smiling, stay blessed.
😉
charlesmashburn said
Thanks a bunch for the visit and commentss!
Strummed Words said
Very nice, Charles, to see the present is better than the “perhaps.”
charlesmashburn said
Yes! And that is my point!
Thank you for the visit and comment!
Angela Cohan said
Absolutely beautiful–wonderful use of imagery and allusion.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you so much, Angela! Your visit and beautiful comments are very much appreciated!
becca givens said
You and Sherry are very blessed, Charles! I believe this is exactly as God planned marriage to be … a gift to each other and the atmosphere Eden! Timing is all part of the plan … thankfully, neither of you missed the cue!! To many more lovely years in Eden!!
charlesmashburn said
Yes we are, Becca! And we, too, believe that all things before brought us to the now we are in. God had it planned all along–we firmly believe that. And I couldn’t miss the cue; she had a sign!!
Thank you for the visit and wonderful comments!
Ginny Brannan said
Many ponder the “what ifs” because they have regrets. It’s nice to see the only regret is in the yearning for more time together. A lovely “love” poem.
charlesmashburn said
We don’t really regret any of it, Ginny. We figure it worked out just the way it waas suposed to. I actually doubt if she could have handled who I used to be, and all life’s before’s came together to make me who I am todaay (reasonably tolerable).
Thanks for the visit and great comments!
Gigi Ann said
So nice to see you and Sherry have spend sixteen great years together. And what a nice poem to your sweetheart.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much! Your visit and wonderful comments are much appreciated!
The Noiseless Cuckooclock said
stay married, remain positive and happy.
🙂
thanks for visiting me…
charlesmashburn said
We will! Thanks!
And you’re welcome!
I had to go back and read that first one a couple more times. It kind of left me speechless the first couple times I read it.
wordcoaster said
Very sweet and hope-filled. I’ll know that Eden when I reach it. The when could take a while, though 😉
charlesmashburn said
It sometimes takes a while to get there, but the journey is well worth it!
Thanks, David!
Classic NYer said
Oh, how lovely! What gorgeous imagery… “You and I forever in this Eden we’ve been given”… I love it!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you so much! What wonderful comments. I appreciate your visit very much!
Heaven said
Very lovely share.. specially these lines:
Mean nothing, for now is all that matters
You and I forever in this Eden we’ve been given
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, so much! Your visit and wonderful comments are very much appreciated.
thingy said
My gosh, this is so beautiful. : )
charlesmashburn said
what a wonderful comment! I appreciate it very much!
The Lonely Recluse said
Very clever take on the prompt, very enjoyable poem. Loved it.
The Lonely Recluse.
charlesmashburn said
Thanks! I appreciate the visit and the comment!
mairmusic said
You are lucky indeed.
Kay Salady said
They say, “all the world loves a stage”. However, I do believe we lean more toward love. As ever, just lovely Charles.
charlesmashburn said
I believe love is everything. I might add, I have not always believed that.
Thanks for the visit and the beautiful comment.
Stafford said
I think we create our own ‘garden of Eden’ and just as well because in the Biblical one the Lion would have starved to death! 🙂
I note you are later life partners and quote Frank Sinatra. “Love is lovelier the second time around”. Good stuff!
charlesmashburn said
Yes, this is not our first rodeo. We got it right this time!
Thanks for the visit and great comments!
Parth Joshi said
hey… lovely read… would’ve loved more on the serpent’s snare…:-)…
charlesmashburn said
Thanks! No serpent in this garden!
Appreciate the visit and comments!
Seabell said
Really nice way to put it: live the present in the paradise where we live…
charlesmashburn said
That’s the best way, love in the present. Leave the past behind and move ever forward.
Thanks for the visit and nice comment!
Irene said
Your poem is very touching. May you have more happy and blessed years together. God bless! 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Irene. Your visit, comment and well wishes are very much appreciated!
safehousepoetry said
“Would we have fallen to the serpent’s snare” … I like this line. I haven’t heard of the Poetry Picnic, but I’d like to link up. I accidentally wrote an Adam and Eve poem yesterday; you may enjoy it. I’d love to have some feedback!
charlesmashburn said
I see on your poem that you found the picnic. I like the poem, and was going to comment, but got sidetrack when I went back to Gooseberry to see if you’d posted it there. I didn’t find it, but probably just missed it.
Thank you so much for your visit to my blog, and for the wonderful comments!
shail said
The date of ‘our. beginning is close at hand and your lines remind me of of the same ‘Eden’ here and now. 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Thank you. I don’t know what you were doing with the word “our”, (It shows as ‘our. but I think you are probably correct in that the new beginning is at hand.
Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting on the poem!
Sara Potenza Nicholls said
As I read your words I felt joy in my heart.
Real love exists.
Thank you!
charlesmashburn said
Yes it does, Sara! I’m glad my poem brought you joy! That is a blessing to me!
Thank you for the visit and wonderful comment!
mbwilliams said
“And what if our beginning had been the beginning”
love this line – so insightful. Perhaps it was?
charlesmashburn said
Thanks, mb! Your visits and comments are always appreciated!
Chimnese said
we can learn from the adam & eve….they set the path for us whehther love or life…great take on this theme.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the visit and comments. I appreciate them very much!
Miss Kitten said
Adam and Eve do teach a valuable lesson about love. Yes, they had it all, and yes they were kicked out of paradise. But they got through it and still had each other. Well done!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Miss Kitten! Your visit and thoughtful coments are very much appreciated!
Rekha said
This is so beautiful…makes so much sense not to linger on “had-been” but on the beauty of togetherness that exists in the today. It is intriguing and enchanting how most readers seem to get something different out of the same set of words. Sorry I am late..hope to the first or atleast the second to comment on your work for once. 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Rekha! Yes it is interesting how each reader might see something different in the same words. To me, that is what poetry and writing are about. I think as we read a poem or story, the images it brings to mind–and the meanings it impartsus–are uniquely our own. I may see the garden and happiness, another may see the serpent and evilness. It is all in the individual perspective recieved as the words are read, and all of them are correct! This, my friend, is how I believe it should be!
Don’t concern yourself with when you comment! I am thrilled you take time to read and comment, no matter when it might be!
Dave said
Congratulations. Interesting questions. Thanks Charles.
charlesmashburn said
Thanks for the visit and comments, Dave!
Morning said
brilliant, right to the point.
thanks for the continued love to poetry picnic,
keep shining.
keep sharing.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the visit and comments! I intend to continue to be a part of your wonderful site. Thank you for providing such a nice venue for writers to share their work.
Larry said
Summing up a lot in your poem. What a great viewpoint.
Larry
charlesmashburn said
Thanks, Larry. I appreciate your visit and comment!
Emmanuel Ibok said
I can imagine the expression on her face while reading this. Worthwhile read.
Cheers!
charlesmashburn said
It was aa follow up to one I gave her earlier in the week on our anniversary. I Am Loved. And the look on her face–both times–was wonderful!
Thanks for the visit and comments!
dani said
there’s nothing like being in love with a poet and/or loved by a poet. ♥ i love imagining the two of you as Adam and Eve! an original and romantic poem from the heart! love it ♥
charlesmashburn said
Thanks, Dani! I think it’s awesome being the poet, and I know Sherry loves it!
Appreciate the visit and wonderful comments!
Kellie Elmore said
Just as lovely the second time around 🙂
Happy Rally!
http://magicinthebackyard.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/autumns-apology/
charlesmashburn said
Come back again, Kellie!
dasuntoucha said
…These dreams of what might have been
Though wonderful to think upon
Mean nothing, for now is all that matters
You and I forever in this Eden we’ve been given…
…indeed…enchanting write.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much for the visit and lovely comment!
fiveloaf said
reflective but very well said- gosh you do not need anymore comments than is already here! 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Thank you! Yes, this one has recieved quite a bit of attention!
uma said
Yes true…sometimes past is scary with the serpent around
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the nice comment, Uma!
lolamouse said
Lovely thoughts. Congratulations on finding love-whenever and wherever you find it!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you fro the visit and sweet comment!