Paper Wings

I do not want a simple love, do not

want to tire of it.

That is what I have told myself without

ever having held a

single hand or having heard the

symphony of violins.

But I see in my parents what

every marriage aspires to—it is clear

in what they lack.

There are no yells through vents without

consideration for

the other side of the grate.

No silent dinners at a table surrounded

by framed pictures

of the honeymoon phase.

There is only the quiet that

comes with years of understanding, kisses

that do not make a scene,

and a connection that broadens in

every little moment.

Yes, if this is what they call

a simple love,

I would not want anything less.

-A.J