The Laughing Girl & Me — a poem about young love between old souls

My partner and I are celebrating 21 years together, weathering the storms and somehow surviving them all since age 14. We're young at heart and yet old souls. We've had our ups and downs, as any relationship will in that length of time. I'd like to think we're better for all of it. We have so much to be grateful for.

We've gone through some major challenges in recent years with health problems and personal tragedies, and in the chaos of all that we have had some truly beautiful moments together that have restored my faith in us. Lisa has been there to guide me through some of the most terrifying times in my life and I cannot imagine braving this world without her.

I started writing this poem about a year ago, just after our 20th anniversary, and I completed it just today. A snippet of the unfinished work was featured in my previous post, Boo! Bonus tricks and treats from works in progress, under the name Rekindled. I didn't feel that my words were adequate to express my feelings, and I still feel I've missed the mark just a bit. But hopefully the spirit of love and gratitude comes through as we celebrate this special day.

The Laughing Girl & Me

Look again with aging eyes
at a union still youthful, still sweet.
Breathe in. Let it weather. Let it deepen.
Appreciate that we have so much room to grow
and see that as possibility and potential—
see it as promise.

Drift through magical nights in the twinkling glow
between the frost and the year's first snow.
Walk side by side, worn but optimistic.
Savor the slow rekindling
of a love that deserves to live.

Don’t regret slaying the demons
that came attached to our broken hearts.
Don't lament the decades of confusion
because that path led to clarity and kindness.
Special indeed is this love thing—
returning to the vibe that saturated our beginning.

We are blessed to be here—right here—
no matter how hard-fought our footing is
or how precarious this position may be.
In this breath, we are together and whole.
In this instant, paired and complete.

I knew I couldn't live without you,
but I saw it as a unique and beautiful doom.
But no. It is an intricately carved destiny
that heals all things and washes us clean.
A brand new start for the laughing girl and me.