I am left on the shelf

Everyone’s married, settled, sure,

Tied up in ribbons, vows secure.

Laughter rings from every home,

Yet here I stand, still alone.

They ask in whispers, tilt their heads,

Offer smiles laced with dread.

Still no one, Not yet found,

Their voices echo, round and round.

I had my chances, let them pass,

Some too quiet, none to last.

Love’s a game I played too slow.

Now the doors are closed, you know.

But am I broken? Left behind?

Or just a soul of different kind?

Not a book upon a shelf,

But something whole, all by myself.

One day maybe my love will arrive,

Then in a happy marriage I will thrive.

I want a love that’s not for show.

I want a man genuine to love me so.