How Love Dies Poem by Walter Killeen

Once upon a time a young man found a woman.

That special one: the eyes; the hair; the shape of her face; her hands; her special walk; the sound of her
voice. The love reflected in her soul.. Timidly at first, he approached her. He had been shot down so many
times before, the thought of being hurt again frightened him. But then... He touched her...
That first kiss was electrifying.. They talked constantly. Sharing their feelings.. Trying to be together
always. Time apart was painful.. They thought of each other constantly. Love letters flowed. After long
walks sharing thoughts and feelings... and liking what was found, they fell in love. It was like magic.

They married and became a couple... a single one. They loved and were loved. Life was so ALIVE! They
became closer, and closer until.. at last, they disappeared into each other. The union was good. Peace and
contentment followed. A child was conceived... The two who had become one were now three.

THEN life began to happen....

Working to keep mouths fed meant more time apart. Diapers meant less time for housework....
less time for each other..
But no one seemed to notice..
The babies increased their ability to love and accept love.
The demands of the office often meant working late..
Dating each other stopped..
But no one seemed to notice..
Look at how the baby is sitting up. My, how our children have grown...
But honey, babysitters are so expensive...
Money needs to be saved for school, clothes, vacation, travel...
Passion was hurt.. A little at a time...
Teddies and sexy shorts gave way to flannel.. or worse: Bedtimes changed.
But no one seemed to notice..
Bills needed to be paid..
Extra hours were gladly invested to meet goals.
Just look at how well our family is coming along...
Parting kisses were forgotten... Sweet whispered nothings began to disappear.
But no one seemed to notice..
Ballet class, Music lessons, boy scouts, grocery shopping, errands..
Oh.. and if we have some time... love making at midnight.
Closeness suffered..
But no one seemed to notice...
Somewhere along the line, they slowly drifted apart.
They forgot the wonderful person that they fell in love with..
They both grew older and changed...
But no one seemed to notice...
The house became a mess.
Bills began to pile up so longer hours were worked...
Where was the time going...
Not tonight honey... I'm too tired... I'll come to bed right after...

Soon they both began to notice...
They had both grown up... Grown differently... grown apart...
They had forgotten to keep each other in their lives...
They had forgotten to take time to nurture that love which was once so strong..
And while they weren't looking... It withered and finally died.

REMEMBER to take the time for each other. Make the time for each other.

(C) 2/16/1998