A Decade of Difference

I'm sitting across from you,

Someone who has lived the ten years,

I am walking into,

Notably different lives, with our own stories,

Yet intrigued by what the other has or has not experienced,

I am at the beginning,

The beginning of chasing the dreams that you once had,

In our perspective, career and life paths,

Creativity before it turns to what pays the bills,

I am at the beginning of expanding my friendships,

while yours settle down and create families,

Keeping my days and nights busy while you settle in with your dog,

You are at a crossroads, to what I believed was the dream,

The end to what I only see as beginnings,

You have miles on the road that I don't even know,

Have dealt with a loss of the biggest form of commitment,

without holding onto any of the resentment,

Your stability despite your situation is attractive,

You are attractive,

Maybe it's the decade of maturity between us,

Or perhaps it's the maturity that finally matches my age,

I want to know more about the life you have lived,

To see your view on being on the other side of it,

Having a house,a wife, a brick-by-brick built life,

Only for that to no longer be in your sight,

I want to know if it was worth it,

If you could, would you relive it again?

Even if you knew how it was going to end,

What is it like to even have it happen?

Was the belief in the love worth it?

I want to know if this skews your views on marriage,

You see my hope, without sharing your own baggage,

Those last ten years were so defining,

Can you see a silver lining?

I often think about why I met you,

a concept, an age gap that is new,

I wonder what life lessons you will bring me to,

Maybe just a friend,

Maybe I can remind you of life before it all began,

Maybe a blend,

But today I sit across from you,

Someone new, whom I know very little about,

Yet intrigued by the years I have yet to live out,

A decade of decisions,

A decade of dreams,

A decade of doing your best while holding together by the seams,

A decade defining our different lives,

Yet two people sharing pho after playing pickleball on a Wednesday night.