with your permission my lady
a phrase at times used in jest
other times reaching a mutual decision

i call her lady because

beneath i see the nobility

not bequeathed by birth

but accrued in a life of nobleness

she whose heart breathes in a cachet

of whose prestige is born of respect

who i admire for who she is

what she stands for

who she attends to

she is my lady

and in all of our exchanges in life

i ask for permission not out of any fear

but in fact, she deserves to be heard until

she has finished what her heart has to say

express what her mind holds closest

with each, with your permission my lady

she knows i am her gentleman

if life has taught me anything

it is respect earns respect

it gives the deepest meaning to love

but more so permission to flower

growth is the root by which the tree stands

its seeds become the forest

sheltering Elysian meadows

2/10/19