End of a Love Story

Why do we want fairy tales

When falling in love is always

The End?

So charming, the day I found you, my Prince

Eyes meeting in a crowd, just like the stories

Sparks and rapid pulses

Fumbling words

Fumbling hands

Finding strength in one another

We defied the invisible barriers

That stood in our way

Held strong in support of love

Fought together

Loved fiercely

United

This would be the end of a love story

A happy one

If the story ended there

But

It was only the start of a life

Shiny new trinkets may last a while

Keep you happy for carefree years

But somewhere down the line

They lose their shine

And there you are

Dulled

Forgetting what it was

To be in love

Days no longer built upon romance and thrill

But of dishes and laundry

Frustration and ennui

Are we still lovers

Are we still partners

If months slide by when all we do

Is fight or fuck

Or ignore one another?

We show the world our fairy tale smiles

Still such a cute couple, they say

Even after all this time

But inside I'm thinking of

The dirty plates all over the house

The milk forgotten on the counter

The lumber and screws left in the driveway

The clothes you borrowed and spoiled

The promises you forgot

I think of your wandering eye

The times you didn't notice my tears

The arguments I couldn't win

Because it was more important for you

To make a point

Than to acknowledge the validity

Of my pain

That infuriating habit you have

Of forcing every emotion

Through logical analysis

To obsessively define

And debate

And quantify

Until I just want to go numb

Are you likewise thinking of my failures?

Of my sharp and thoughtless words

My impatience and rigid expectations?

Are you thinking of how I brush you off

Turning to mindless entertainment

Or perpetual writing

Rather than listening to what you want to tell me?

Does it bother you when I write sweet poetry

For everybody but you?

Have I hurt you, my Prince,

As you have hurt me?

Once upon a time

We stood strong against a barrier

That tried to tell us we shouldn't be together

Here we stand again

Against a different barrier

That place of stagnation and resentment

That triggers the decay of so many unions

Surrender is the path of least resistance

But we are still here

Eyes wander and imaginations stray

Boredom numbs once passionate hearts

Perpetual frustration corrupts perspective

But you are still next to me at night

As I am next to you

And now we are ready

To turn over and reach for each other

We are still alive

To connect instead of fight

To make love instead of fuck

We need only climb out of our distracted minds

And remember how

We thought true love happened long ago

When eyes met in a crowd

And sparks exploded

But true love is now

When we're jaded and wounded

Impatient and fractious

When the dishes and laundry pile up

Into mountains that threaten to bury us

True love is now

Because each day we choose it

Each morning and night we choose one another

In all our imperfection and mess

My prince

You drive me crazy

And sometimes you hurt me

I hate your messes and your distractions

I hate your debates and stubborn logic

And the way you always need to make each mistake

In your own infuriating way

But I love you

I love you because we are both so imperfect

Because I know you're always trying

And you frustrate yourself most of all

I love you because you still want me

Still like me best

Still come home to me

And because you're too dumb to ever tell me a lie

Or keep a secret

I love you because you want the best for me

And empower me to stand up for myself

Even against you

Especially against you

This is love

It's a choice we make

A battle we fight

Each day

Standing fast against the tide

Of bitter reality

Of numbing practicalities

Love isn't an attraction

A transient flutter

A pretty flower

Love is these bare and raw bones

Left after many years of merciless life

Have worn everything else away

It isn't so charming

But it's real

And it's ours