Forty years ago today
I put my white suit on
The one I bought for twenty quid
in Jayson’s Menswear from
And the only tie I think I had
was a black one from my Dad
and a pair of his old shoes
I’d kept since I was just a lad
My best man Josse was with me
and he did his best I think
to help me look presentable
albeit with a wink
And then when we were ready
we walked down Ashby Road
to meet up with the others
from our single room abode
I was just over twenty
but in my heart I really knew
that love had spoken loud
and clear – this was the thing to do
So Sal and I were married
on the seventh of July
And today we celebrate the fact
of forty years gone by
A ruby anniversary
but far more precious is than that
the love that both of us still share
undeniably a fact
So these words are for my soulmate
repeated here anew
Three words I said both then and now
the adage “I love you”
©Jemverse
Photo – Jem & Sal on their wedding day; Saturday 7 July 1979, Loughborough
Poet's Corner 