In forty-five years, she has rolled her eyes 
And then accepted me,
How many times?
In all the times I failed and was lost,
She found me and led me back,
How many times?
In the evenings when we were cross,
She smiled back at me, how many times?
She accepts me and loves me,
And I am amazed.
She sees me better than I am.
She hugs me and warms me
When I am unsure where I am.
She assures me and holds me
When I am most vulnerable and unsure.
In all these years, I know she knows me.
She knows the things I try to hide.
She knows the things I won’t know.
She knows me.
She knows me, and still she holds on.
And that is some kind of grace!
I love Karen, who knows me and loves me.
I know.

(c) Tom Bolton, Riding back to Milwaukee on I94, June 3, 2012.

Karen and I recently celebrated anniversary 31. She knows me.