by Marianne Christy

At a Writers’ Night held at Five Corners Café on Tuesday, February 2, local writer and co-creator of the event, Melissa Macdonald, started off the evening by reading the e.e. cummings poem, i carry your heart with me.

Prior to her recitation she explained why the poem is important to her. She said it described beautifully the love and devotion her friend Dan Tickner has for his wife Natalie. 

Dan, also a poetry lover, told Mel that years ago when Natalie was being treated for breast cancer he would read love poems to her during her chemotherapy sessions.

Now that Natalie is cancer-free, he offered his poetry books to Mel to enjoy.

Mel was greatly touched by Dan’s story and gesture. She said she was moved that he loved Natalie enough to read to her, sit by her side, in sickness and in health…moved to realize that there are still men out there like him.

She dedicated the poem to the long-time married couple.

i carry your heart with me

(i carry it in) 

by e.e. cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go where you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)