Woo Her In The Wilderness

Intimate picnic in wilderness

    When it comes to an intimate picnic, I think Omar Khayyam had the right idea:

          “A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
           A Jug of Wine, A Loaf of Bread—and Thou
           Beside me singing in the Wilderness—
           Oh, Wilderness were Paradise now!”

     It doesn’t take much time, effort, or money to host an intimate picnic Omar Khayyam-style. All you need is a book of poetry, a baguette, some soft cheese, a jar of fig jam, and wine. If you think this might become a regular feature, invest in an insulated wine basket with a wine/cheese service for two. If you own one of these totes, there’s a greater chance you will do this more frequently.

     As for the book of verse, according to my wife, Dorothy, one of the most romantic things a man can do is to read poetry to his beloved. If you need a recommendation, you can bring along selections by Keats, Marvell, Wordsworth, and Coleridge. If you find this a bit daunting, you can print copies of your favorite love songs, and read those aloud. The words to love songs are simply poetic expressions of romantic love written in a lyrical way (which is why they are called lyrics).

     So, head out to a scenic yet private spot. Pour a couple of glasses of wine (I’d recommend a pinot noir), tear off pieces of baguette, add smears of soft cheese with dabs of the fig jam, and there you have it. . . an unforgettable rendezvous.

     You know, now that I’m thinking about it, you might also bring some grapes. Yeah – bring grapes. It’s something you can feed to each other. How playful and sexy is that?

My favorite love song with great lyrics:

Cole Porter’s You Do Something To Me. Because my voice is a bit like Kermit-the-Frog-meets-Tom-Waits, I don’t sing it – I recite to my wife those wonderful lyrics. Great love songs abound in any era, but I think some of the greatest are those sappy ones written in the 1930s.