Pure Love

Love. When I think of the word love the first thing that pops into my mind is a Sylvia Plath poem which I memorized and recited in drama school. I bet you weren't expecting to hear love and Sylvia Plath in the same sentence. The line that pops up automatically is

"Love set you going like a fat gold watch"

It's amazing the journey I have gone on with this poem, each time I re-visit it another layer of the onion reveals yet more depth. I am thinking about love today because it is my husbands birthday and when I think of him I think of pure love. It is the gift he gives me each and every day and for his birthday I wanted to let him know how much that gift means to me.

The first time I read the poem I was an eager 17 year old drama student. My partner was Ace Bhati, whom I just reconnected with on face book. Between us we performed the poem taking on the very alien roles of mother and father. If I recall correctly I held a fake baby aka doll in my arms as a prop. I was a big fan of Sylvia Plath at the time and was excited when we were handed the poem as our assignment. This was a whole different side of Sylvia Plath from the one I had been indulging in late at night, amidst candles with Bauhaus playing in the background in the self imposed exile of my bedroom in Radcliffe-On-Trent, Nottingham, England. As Ace and I performed the poem, the words and I felt separate. I had little connection or understanding of what Sylvia Plath was expressing within the poem.

The poem traveled with my to America and was packed in and out of boxes until in 2003 it along with my husband and I found it's home, our first house and what I believe will be our home for a very long time. When our daughter Sofie was born I wanted to have a celebration and decided to have a welcome to the world party. The monks that had performed our wedding ceremony came and blessed our house and new child. During the ceremony I stood up and once again recited the words of Sylvia Plath but without Ace this time. The meaning was completely evident now. I struggled to hold back tears as the emotion tumbled over me. The awe of my new born baby still fresh in my mind and right in front of me.

Today here I am with Sylvia again. As I began writing this today and the reference to the poem popped up I thought it would be a simple one line reference a segue into something more but it seems to have taken on a life of it's own. Looking at the words, once again with fresh eyes I uncover something else.

"Love set you going like a fat gold watch"

You my love set me going, just like that fat gold watch and the wonderful child we are raising together. You nurtured me, adored me, looked after me, encouraged me, held me...

you brought me back to life like a blast from the electric paddles, completely unexpected.

Thank you for the gift you give me every day. The gift worth more than a million valentine cards and thousands of boxes of chocolates or red roses that will wilt and die.

I love you, happy birthday.