Stuart

As I ponder

What to say to Stuart Forward

On this birthday of wonder

The words form in my mind

"I love you"

Not because I fancy him that much

Handsome though he be

But because he is the the most loveable person

That ever knew me

So kind in manner

And tender in speech

He fights for liberty

Yet never does preach

A perceptive humour

With a knowledge

Of post-colonial literature

Like that of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Or perhaps that of Cuba

It would not be the same

For me to say Je T'aime

For that's too romantic

And romance is not ma thème

Many, by the complexities of gender and sexuality are kept apart

But at the risk of being viewed as a literary tart

I will wish him happy birthday

And tell him that I love him

With my art

Povey 2013