I prayed the Lord my soul to keep
Tossing and turning the night before
Because I could not sleep
And since there were no sheep in Jamaica
To count
That I know
Early morning hours spent
Standing on the patio
Looking down at the midnight lights
Atop the gazebo
A few hours to wait amidst beach and sand
Reflecting not too long before
I asked your mother for your hand
Her smile towards me
I was thought of as her newest son
Spoken in her most gentle patwa-isity
Just a few hours more to go
Thinking in silence while staring beyond
At the gazebo
Dressed in white and silver shoes tied
While putting on dad’s watch
I broke down and cried
I wished he were there with me
To soak up the island sun and
Breathe its gentle island air
Sunday school lessons and morning worship hymns
Always training the child in the way he should go
He was on my mind that moment
While I stared at the gazebo
From the patio came a light gentle breeze
I took a quiet moment
To get down on my knees
In just a few hours I would surrender all
A Damascus moment to be sure
From Saul to a new Paul
A lifetime commitment to her
No longer to go with the flow
Walking through the main lobby now
At the end of the path
Stood the gazebo
Standing and waiting and holding back tears
It was she
Whom I had prayed and waited for all these years
Watching for the bridal car so anxiously
Watching you emerge in white
Walking slowly towards me
My soul overnight He did keep
Hours of meditation
And very little sleep
A balmy yet gentle wind did blow
Amidst yellowish brown sand
We exchanged vows and said “I do”
Four years ago
We stood together
Inside the gazebo