Forever Now, Forever Then

Never have I felt the need to tell you

about those fleeting fancies I carried

all these years, wrapped up with care,

tethered to a yearning so inexplicable.

But today, I am here to surrender it all,

before the cold north winds sweep you off

and take you away from me,

forever now, forever then.

A tight knot sits right below my chest

twisting my heart and mind awry

as your worries become a part of me

and I embrace them all without remorse.

While all our fears taunt us to give in,

quit before even considering the possibility

of our sacred union before God and man,

forever now, forever then.

Oh what a precarious position I’ve set

where my words make no sense

and my actions befit those of mad folks

from cautionary tales about love and loss.

Yet I know what I must do to convince

boorish kins and their adamant ways

if I am to make you mine,

forever now, forever then.

If only I had this clarity when we first fell

so madly in love, scaling boundaries

clueless and innocent, like little children

on their first ride atop that giant ferris wheel.

I would have never entertained distractions

that have led us to doubt our dreams

about a quaint life together

forever now, forever then.

So let us not dwell in the depths of ‘what ifs’

or let ourselves be consumed by grief

that linger only to mock us for the sake of it

but can never feel the way we do.

We have walked the long road to happiness

while the rest tried to change our course

and we would still be in love again,

forever now, forever then.