A Decade by Amy Lowell

The romantic in me instantly loved the poem A Decade by Amy Lowell. It’s so beautifully descriptive and yet it doesn’t over exaggerate the love that’s being described with excessively flowery language; it’s just honest. It immediately brought to mind the picture of what a healthy relationship would look or sound like after having stood the test of time, which from the title we can assume is a decade. With the first two lines “when you came, you were like red wine and honey, and the taste of you burnt my mouth with its sweetness” (pg. 979) the reader gets the sense of what it’s like at the start of any new relationship. The other person seems perfect, their strengths override any flaws that may have shown through, everything is painfully sweet and seems too good to be true. Then over time they become “like morning bread, smooth and pleasant” (pg. 979), not too sweet, not too bitter, but the nourishment that sustains you throughout the day. Like any healthy relationship, the highs shouldn’t be too high and the lows shouldn’t be too low, but rather a constant that keeps you strong throughout the struggles of everyday life. The last two lines “I hardly taste you at all for I know your savour, but I am completely nourished” (pg. 979) are what I imagine it would be like after years in such a relationship. Not that you wouldn’t notice the other person there, but instead they’ve grown  to be such a part of you and a part of your life that you can hardly distinguish between your life and theirs. Instead of the pang of sweetness of adjusting and fitting this person into your life in the beginning, they have now filled a whole you previously were unaware of and would therefore be empty without them. The relationship has evolved from a state of overwhelming sweetness to a steady fulfillment that leaves you content and nourished.