[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wedding-poetry-series-denise-levertov-first-love\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wedding-poetry-series-denise-levertov-first-love\/","headline":"Wedding Poetry Series: Denise Levertov, First Love","name":"Wedding Poetry Series: Denise Levertov, First Love","description":"The next installment from our Wedding Poetry Series for wedding ceremony readings comes from Denise Levertov (Oct. 24, 1923 – Dec. 20, 1997). During the course...","datePublished":"2013-07-30","dateModified":"2021-06-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/heart-blue-flowers.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/heart-blue-flowers.jpg","height":500,"width":500},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wedding-poetry-series-denise-levertov-first-love\/","about":["In Bloom"],"wordCount":318,"articleBody":"The next installment from our Wedding Poetry Series for wedding ceremony readings comes from Denise Levertov (Oct. 24, 1923 – Dec. 20, 1997). During the course of a prolific career, Levertov created a highly regarded body of poetry that reflects her beliefs as an artist and a humanist. Her work embraces a wide variety of genres and themes, including nature lyrics, love poems, protest poetry, and poetry inspired by her faith in God. Levertov’s poem First Love is an exquisite example of the depths our spirits go to to find “the one,” and these verses would be lovely read by a well-spoken reader at any wedding ceremony, especially if there was a mic so each sentence is audible to all the wedding guests.First LoveBy Denise LevertovIt was a flower.There had been,before I could even speak,another infant, girl or boy unknown,who drew me \u2013 I hadan obscure desire to become connected in some way to this other,even to be what I faltered after, fallingto hands and knees, crawlinga foot or two, clamberingup to follow further untilarms swooped down to bear me away.But that one left no face, had exchangedno gaze with me.This flower:SuddenlyThere was Before I saw it, the vaguepast, and Now. Forever. Nearbywas the sandy sweep of the Roman Road,and where we sat the grasswas thin. From a bare patchof that poor soil, solitary,sprang the flower, face upturned,looking completely, openlyinto my eyes.I was barelyold enough to ask and repeat its name.\u2018Convolvulus,\u2019 said my mother.Pale shell-pink, a chaliceno wider across than a silver sixpence.It looked at me, I lookedback, delightfilled me as ifI, not the flower,Were a flower and were brimful of rain.And there was endlessness.Perhaps through a lifetime what I\u2019ve desiredhas always been to return to that endless giving and receiving, the wholenessof that attention,that once-in-a-lifetimesecret communion.Source: Poetry Foundation"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Wedding Poetry Series: Denise Levertov, First Love","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wedding-poetry-series-denise-levertov-first-love\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]