Saturday, March 26, 2011

Happily Ever After

I found this poem I wrote a few years ago while cleaning today. It seems worthy of dusting off & sending into the Intraweb.

An Ode to my True Love on the back of a School Announcement
Or Why Fairy Tales are bunk and True Love cleans the Kitchen

I never believed that Disney understood True Love.
As a child, the Tramp seemed trampy and Lady deceived.
But of course I was moved by the spaghetti.
Weren't you?

My skepticism continued, tainting all the trashy romance novels thieved from my Mother's bookshelf.
Scoffing at the silliness with my whole 75% of my heart,
Convinced I'd live a life more savvy and urbane
than the available media provided.

Heart-throbbing aside and knee deep in adulthood,
Discovery discloses
that one of the Sexiest things a man can do
Is feed the kids breakfast.

My worry used to be regarding attraction,
But as our waistlines grow, so does my continued affection.
Our commitment can be credited as much to arguments as vows,
to secret concession than sexy trysts.

Because, my dear, our love is about the way our lives are irrevocably intwined,
Like ivy on bricks:
We could get rid of it, but it would be temporary and leave scars.
I'd much rather tame and train the beast that is our love.

With the compassion used for training an elephant
Powerful enough to pull away, but content to let the weak chain
Tether him to the spot he prefers.

I like to think of myself as the ball and chain
you choose
From joy not from concession.

Because the only thing Harlequin and Disney have in common
is that the romance ends
when the Happily Ever After begins.