I do vs I do

Two words so plain

that melts in

common refrain:

“I do do the dishes”,

“I do all the cooking”, 

“I do think she 

ain’t worth two heaves”.

Two words,

by themselves,

little weight they bear 

lest you drop them in the right atmosphere.

Then, for all who can hear

and for all who are here

most of all,

the one you hold dear

Stressed and unstressed,

paired iambically,

two words bind your lives

fiscally if not spiritually.

But I’ll be damned

and my pants on fire

if I claim I was calm,

not a shake met my palm

when the man asked “Will you…?”

So my mind took a step

to ask “Are you sure?”

My sight gone in a blur–

a tear must have misstepped–

I come to realize

That in him the rest of my story lies

Feeling love, loved and reassured,

I reply “I do, come what may”.