Poetry

I love you even

Not another Valentine's Day poem

Tim MargettsAugust 12, 202623 views

I love you even when you kick in your sleep,
like you’re defending the duvet from ghosts.
Even when your feet, frankly,
are blocks of Antarctic ice,
deployed the moment I am warm and settled,
a crime that could, quite reasonably,
be tried at The Hague.

I love you in the quiet moments,
making me coffee I didn’t want,
because you were making one anyway,
and asking is not part of the routine.

I pretend not to notice
when you steal my side of the bed
by millimetres and lies,
as the duvet becomes your personal burrito
and I shiver, as I reach for the blanket
I placed handily just so.

I love you when you sleep,
while unicorns puff rainbows, apparently,
and you lie there, innocent and peaceful,
as my nose hairs burn off one by one.
They’re gone now.
Veterans to the gases,
and I remain immune.

And then there is your cat.
He was our moggy but he made his choices clear.
He appears without warning,
claims the centre like it was always his,
and looks at me as though I’ve wandered in late.
You say nothing.
You never do.
This is how power works.

You are beautiful,
yes,
but also the person who makes weird noises
when concentrating,
and still somehow expects desire
to survive all of this.

It does.
Against the odds.
Against fur, cold feet, gravity,
time, and common sense.

Because Valentine’s isn’t a single day.
If it were,
we’d be well past our sell-by date.

It’s every day instead.
Every gripe, every habit,
every small thing that makes you
so imperfectly perfect.

Choosing you, again and again.

Despite my better wisdom

Every damn day.

Reviews (2)

Katharine Folkes

8/12/2026

The Words That Got to Me

a crime that could, quite reasonably, be tried at The Hague. that was pretty funny.

Well, I'm going to open with an apology because,... Tim Margetts, I am guessing that the object of this poem never received it and I'm glad you clarified that this is not a Valentine poem - loving someone in spite of ... and then listing them? I know you mean the long lasting love part, but bringing forth all the little annoyances? adios, amigo, so, I think these are just your private thoughts and pet peeves, not shared with whomever, or even anywhere she could see it. You are, after all, a gentleman.

Tim Margetts

8/16/2026

Katharine, you misjudge me, my friend. This wasn't a list of pet peeves or things he loves her in spite of — these are the things he loves her for. When you've spent a lifetime with someone, the cold feet, stolen duvet, morning coffee and all those ridiculous little habits become part of the fabric of ‘us’. Take them away, and you'd miss them terribly. And yes, it's all from his perspective because he's the one telling the tale. I'm quite sure if she wrote her version, we'd hear about his snoring, socks and all the other dreadful habits she loves him ‘even’ for. 😄 So no need for ‘adios, amigo’ — I rather hope she'd recognise herself, laugh, and shove her freezing feet against him again just for good measure. 😂

Rachelle Allen

8/16/2026

The Words That Got to Me

and asking is not part of the routine. *I'm not sure what it is about these words that made my eyelids prickle and tear up. I think it's the "familiarity" aspect of it that's so delicious: we don't ask; everything we do is part of the structure of us kind of thing. It's so funny, isn't it, Tim, what "lands" with us when we read things? as the duvet becomes your personal burrito *HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. This is hilarious! So VIVID!!! And spot-on! HAHAHAHAHAHA. He was our moggy *I had to look this one up, but it's another one of those British words that I absolutely LOVE!! I have a cat, but she's a specific breed, so she can't be a moggy. Damn! I want to be able to say I have a moggy!! If it were, we’d be well past our sell-by date. *Haha. Very tender and cute.

Suggestions / Possible Tweaks

Okay, Mister, this is a little one-sided here. LIke, this guy must be quite the prize or something? He's with her despite all her oh-so-adorable shortcomings? But no mention whatsoever of HIS??? How about a little quid pro quo here?

I liked the chumminess of this, but I bristled a bit at the way the focus was all on HER less-than-optimums while no mention whatsoever was made of his. I did a lot of eye-rolling toward the middle when I realized that this was going to be all one-sided. It started out kind of endearing with the coffee she made for him, even though he didn't ask for it. There was an initial feeling of his seeing the kindness in the act, though I did feel the teeniest undertow of annoyance about it. It reminded me of a Father-of-the-Bride toast I personally witnessed one time. This is it verbatim: "Ya take da good shit wif da bad shit, and ya just try to get through every g*ddam day the best ya can." It was a VERY hoity-toity wedding because the groom's family - my friends - were Old Money. The bride, in contrast, was a salon girl and a cunning social climber. Her stepfather was a factory worker and hanging on for dear life that day. This poem evoked that dichotomy for me. The guy who thinks "I guess this is supposed to be wonderful, but it's not exactly doing it for me" aspect. My guess is that people with a Y-chromosome would appreciate it way more. xoxo

Tim Margetts

8/16/2026

My dear friend, you take me wrong. This was not a catalogue of grievances, it was instead a list of the reasons why he loves her. The title is 'I love you even'.. when your freezing feet are shoved against me; indeed, these stupid intimate things are amongst the things I love about you. When you spend a lifetime together, the habits and unique mannerisms become part of the life you share. Also, it was him telling the tale, so obviously it was from his perspective. I am sure in another poem from her side, we'd hear all about his snoring, socks, disgusting habits and the thousand other things she loves him ‘even’ for. You actually caught the heart of it perfectly with ‘asking is not part of the routine’. That's exactly what I was after: that comfortable familiarity where these things simply become part of the structure of ‘us’. And I am still laughing at that Father-of-the-Bride toast. Now THAT is romance. 🤣

edited 8/16/2026

Rachelle Allen

8/16/2026

No, no; I take you right. He's Mr. Magnanimous! I love you even though you... Why is he keeping a list ? Lol. Or at least not doing an abacus a la: Well, she snores, but in the kitchen, she soars! Without asking, she makes me coffee; in the bedroom, she doesn't ask, either - just acts naughty. Marriage is about BALANCING the good with the bad!! I'm still crazy-mad in love with my handsome boy because even though he's quirky and methodical and uncompromising when it comes to his schedule of what to do when, he's smart and funny and kind and generous and always, ALWAYS there for his loved ones. I don't love him because I magnanimously overlook his minuses and aren't I so fabulous; I love him because his attributes count far and above the minutiae. I see Katharine saw it the same way I dd. Maybe it's a male/female take on things.

edited 8/16/2026