Love is like an unlit match

Love is like an unlit match.

A thousand million billion possibilities -

Ok, that may be an exaggeration,

But that's what love does to you,

It's not supposed to make sense.

Love is like an unlit match,

So full of possible futures.

It could burn bright and tall,

And be allowed to flourish in everlasting oxygen,

Or it could be lit in a heartbeat,

Only to be exstinguished moments later by a caring adult,

Removing an errant match from their child's playful hands.

Love is like an unlit match,

In that the possibilities are endless.

It could be used to light a candle,

And then the love would be there for all to see,

Displayed to the world and making the world a better place.

It could be used to fuel a habit,

To light yet another cigarette that is slowly killing someone,

Destroying them from inside out,

Killing them before it's too late.

It could be lit during a blackout,

Providing comfort for those in need,

But them be lost as soon as the light goes on,

The comfort it provided forgotten as the striker

Leaves for mechanical light again.

Or it could be that someone holds the match,

Having stroked it, and just watch it burn itself out,

Before casting it away and picking another from the box.

Love is like an unlit match,

In the way that not all possibilities are good.

It could be the spark that sets off the gasoline

That burns down someone's life,

Spread maliciously by someone else,

To whom the match is only a tool.

Through the burning carbon dioxide is released into the air,

A deadly gas that is invisible but suffocating,

And can destroy the striker without anyone realising.

Love is like an unlit match,

In the way that though some possibilities are bad,

The good far outshines them.

The light can guide people,

It can save them,

Can bring love unto their world once more.

And let's not forget, lastly,

Why love is truly like an unlit match.

It's something you may never want to consider,

Something that every one of us, deep down,

Hopes will never happen to us.

But like an unlit match love is destined to burn -

And to end.