Home!

Back In the familiar.

Digesting a  big wedding without you even though I saw you everywhere but you weren’t there.

Sharon’s son Ray is now a married man.  Yes, married and you would  love Michelle.

I watched you with Sharon, basking in her happiness, offering your support.

I watched you move around the crowd, focusing on those you found most interesting to get to know.  I created a list in my mind, with Scott right on top- celebrating his success..Dr. Klass!

I watched you watching me, twinkling as I read “I carry your heart” in front the wedding crowd, smiling as I read your name,sharing our poetic moment.

I watched you on the drink line making sure I had something in my hands after we moved from ceremony to cocktails.   Sharon  grabbed me for a photo with her.  I’m sure it would have been a trio, even a quartet with Eddie if you were here.

I watched for you everywhere and Sharon made sure the experience was as easy as it could be. I  was in her inner circle, without an empty chair  on either side. I know you’re not surprised.

I watched you clear a  small piece of the dance floor for us- slow dances, fast dances…

I watched you freeze a bit in Vermont but you would have been happy for Sharon and Eddie and the family I’ve come to feel so connected to.

Here’s my piece of the ceremony:

My name is Bonnie Kaplan and I’ve been friends with Sharon Klass/Kaplan for 30 years When we taught at Pearl  River our shared students often thought we were sisters even though we don’t think there’s any blood ties between our families.

Over the years Eddie has left his mark on my apartment bringing the kitchen and bathrooms to their true beauty and together the three of us spent a very rich 9 days exploring Amsterdam and the Rhine River just last month

And as  for you Ray, who I’ve known for most of your life, watching you grow into another passionate artist and teacher with a camera made my time in this very spot at 6 in morning worthwhile.  and I’ve heard you Michelle also love nature.. so I’m

thrilled to share probably the most romantic poem  I know with you and your community of family and friends

…. but first a bit of context…

I spent most of teaching career  as an English and drama teacher.

loving  novels, short stories, plays and writing,

but poetry was a challenge for me just as it was for many of my students  until I realized that poems were filled with emotion, images,  rhythm and words

and  that to really appreciate them you had to hear the  poem performed as you would any performance…

Years ago  I sat at a wedding for one of our theater kids with Sharon on one side of me and my life-partner Tuvia on the other.  Alison, her best friend, from Pearl River read this same poem.

I closed my eyes and let the words explode… and somewhere in the middle of her reading I felt Tuvia gently  grab my hand to share the  moment and in that shared moment,  this poem became the mantra for our love together and continues wstill…

and when Sharon asked me if I would like  to read a poem honoring your wedding, Ray and Michelle I knew it should be this one.

In fact to relive the moment I sent out a request to Alison to send me an audio file of her reading and I had it in my email box with in 24 hrs and I played it over and over as I drove up here…

Finally!

i carry your heart with me

BY E. E. CUMMINGS

i carry your heart with me

(i carry it, in my heart!

i am never without it…

anywhere i go 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)
I watched for you everywhere T, everywhere.

Bonnie S.