When Worlds Collided

Today is the thirty-eighth anniversary of the first time Jim and I met. January 25, 1969. It was a private interview in his suite at the Plaza Hotel. He was wearing his concert clothes from the Madison Square Garden gig the night before, a white peasant shirt and black jeans and Frye boots, hair down to his shoulders. I was wearing a gold velour microskirted tunic dress over brown leather pants and suede boots, with tigereye scarab earrings and a knee-length black rabbit fur coat, hair down to my butt. We were both adorable.

I talk about the day at length in "Strange Days," so won't get into it here. But I will brag with great pride and delight on the fact that there were actually sparks when we shook hands. The prince and the princess touched hands for the first time, and blue sparks leaped out for at least a foot around. I was thrilled and shy. Jim loved it. "Portent," he said. He was right. "A sign," I agreed. I was right. Love at first sight, we both thought. We were both right.

So today I am wearing a bunch of Jim stuff: my engagement ring, his tigerclaw pendant (picture on the verso jacket of the hardcover SD), two of his rings on a chain (my wedding gift to him and his wave ring), a gold dog tag, the diamond heart that was the first serious present he ever gave me. It feels right. And connected. And contented. And he's here.

Love you, honey...



I wrote this for Turk to write for Rennie (in my rock mystery series), but really I wrote it for Jim...totally sappy, but I totally do not care.


Love at First Light

I never touched the sunrise
I never kissed the sea
I never held anything half so fair
Until you came to me

I’d been wandering in the dark
I was almost out of time
You came smiling through the storm
Your glance a kiss, your face a rhyme

Tell me what your name is
I will tell you who you are
I will tell you more than that
Candle to a star

And it was love at first light
Dawn came in to kiss us gently both awake
We both knew at first sight
We were lovers for our hearts’ wise seeing sake

You’d never seen the mountains
Of gold and bramble-dew
You said you couldn’t find the road
Until I came to you

You were all that’s sweet and strong
You were all that’s wise and best
Gave me glory in your arms
Let me slumber on your breast

And we had love that first night
Stars wrapped us in their arms and kept us near
We were new and so bright
There was nothing in the darkness left to fear

[bridge]

We awoke to see the sun
Daylight came as no surprise
Held each other close and warm
Saw tomorrows in our eyes

Tell me where you came from
I will tell you where we are
We will set the sky aglow
Candle to a star

And it was love at first light
Dreams came real for us in one another’s arms
Left fears behind in the night
Held each other sleeping close and safe from harm

And I saw love at first light
The winds of morning visiting your face
Together trust that love might
Find for us a safe defended secret place

For us it’s love at first light
Of all our tender hours this the sum
You and I by love’s right
Own all the mornings and the midnights still to come

And it was love at first light
Dawn came in to kiss us gently both awake
We both knew at first sight
We were lovers for our hearts’ wise seeing sake


[hook out to fade]


© 2006 by Patricia Morrison for Lizard Queen Music, Inc.