Geraldine

She was only seventeen when he got down onto his knees And he said, "Geraldine, How I love the way you hide inside Those quiet, itchy skirts of 1945." Though she loved him too Just thinking of a promise made her terrified of fishing for The adult in her youth But when that rascal smile crossed his face Geraldine fell in love Never walked away All her friends thought she was out of mind To pack up shop and leave her small town past behind They wrote letters asking, "Are you sure you could stand to fall in love With a military man?" They never came when she was playing banjo in the army band And traveling across the USA And when Christmas bought her ticket home at last Geraldine spent her night beneath the overpass Over coffee they discussed the past That went so fast but all the same they're making plans To travel all the bakeries of southern France Before their anniversary It's been sixty years Her sun-drenched skin is sinking Rather earnestly It's just another bitter souvenier But when they finally shared the love they had to spend Geraldine went to bed and never woke again