22/365 3/30 But Then I Met This Girl

"...but then I met this girl..."
and you know what happened next
the same thing that always happens
everything changes
there's no going back
only looking back
and wondering how it might have turned out otherwise
it will never be like that
again
and you know how it was
before the girl
before the wine and romance
it was simple
it was liberating
it was lonely
call them the glory days
savor the nostalgia
only long enough to remember
how it was spent
pining for companionship
lost in the glut of spare time
in the aimless pursuits of youth
and then the girl
and then the indecision
the decision
the commitment
investment
partnership
time
and you know what happened next
how redefining it had to be
how uncomfortable and awkward
the adjustment
compromise
how it became tempting to look back
peer over one shoulder
hope that the pillar of salt was a myth
how easy to forget
we are headed for the promised land
how easy to forget
we are already there