After the Fairytale

Their fairytale did not begin with love at first sight,
But with a love that had lasted many years
And never faded.
Their skin was not young, smooth and unblemished,
But withered and lined
With a lifetime of memories.
Their eyes were not wide and innocent,
But deep and reflected decades of laughter
Pain and love.
Their minds were not curious and naive,
But full and wise to the world
And each other.
Their hands were not smooth and their fingers not straight,
But bent and crooked through years
Of being intertwined.
Their thoughts were not of passion and romance,
But year after year became one
Until they no longer needed to speak.
Their laughter did not sound like bells ringing
And make the birds sing,
But it felt like home.
Their gestures were not extravagant,
But small and gentle
And taken for granted.
Their home was not a palace,
But simple and humble
And filled with happiness.
The walls were not decorated with gold,
But with snapshots of their lives
From beginning to end.
Their fairytale does not end with a tear of happiness,
But with a tear of woe.
Their fairytale did not end with their first kiss,
But with their last.
They did not live happily ever after,
But only until one has to go,
To the other world that is fresh and new
To their withered eyes
As they leave the other behind,
To cry for what they have lost
And to live the loneliness they have never known.
Until their day draws closer and closer
And she can finally shut her eyes,
Like our Sleeping Beauty,
And join her Prince to explore their new kingdom
Forever and ever.