On the hunt, searching for a mate, got you a list of requirements,
Perfect height, smile, weight, hair colour, focused solely on the surface,
In that coming of age when hormones rage, what lies beneath all but unexplored,
“You’re cute,” “you’re hot”, that’s all that’s needed, consider yourselves got,
Here comes the fork in the road, will they stay or will they go?
A path to a happily ever after? Or ‘it’s been fun but nothing lasts forever’?
You took ‘em at face value, literally, didn’t look beyond the layers,
Failed to dig deeper to uncover rare and beautiful treasures,
Maybe you’ll get lucky, in the long term pieces may come together,
While the rest crash and burn, the price of myopia before commitment.
Time passes, bringing with it maturity and wisdom,
Accumulated wins and losses, absorbed differing opinions, no teacher like experience,
Maybe you’re still hitched, good for you if this is so, maybe y’all went separate, nothing is ever set in stone,
Then there are the unattached, marching down their own path,
Might find someone along the way, even at an advanced age,
By which point priorities change, new boxes on that checklist,
Values, beliefs and goals, personality and character, wasn’t essential many moons earlier,
The physical remains important, but ceased to be all-encompassing,
At least it should have long ago, shallowness doesn’t flatter the old,
Knowledge of one’s self long been achieved, your lantern for the rest of the way,
Use it wisely, could mean a happy ending or the one that got away.
And to they who remain tied by the bonds of matrimony, still at it when y’all are old and grey,
Still crazy for one another, perpetually in a state of first date,
Consider yourselves fortunate, not all make it to this bit, too many call it quits even for unimportant shit,
Naturally, they’d all be knocking at your door, like you’re an expert and know-it-all,
How do y’all sustain it? Let ‘em in on your secrets,
Perhaps the answer lies beyond what you can do for one another,
What drew you to one another, years earlier when y’all were younger,
Perhaps it’s a shared love and respect for what y’all had been through, from triumphs and tragedies love blooms anew,
And a shared anticipation for what else lies ahead before the very end, life ain’t done yet,
Go on and continue living, more adventures in the distance,
There’s daylight, still, keep filling the scrapbook with many colours.