Bittersweet | #Wattys2016

xviii. pocky

We

Were so determined to rebuild our foundation of love, put on our construction helmets,

Bring our hammers and wood and nails (as we should) and

We'd lay those bricks side by side, checking off task by task from our to-do list.

We'd cement them carefully in hopes that the next batch of tears would not

Eat them away, and

Please, not too tall! If our expectations rocket too high, we both know that

Our relationship might not survive the fall.

We

Sprayed the walls white and pristine because

Though you wanted blue and I wanted green,

At least, no party would win the fight and declare themselves supreme because

We both know how our egos would struggle and scream.

"Carry our new mahogany wardrobe inside please, sirs, and

Be careful.

Keep your eyes out for the crystal figurines that

We both miraculously seemed to agree on and

No, we don't want a black coffee table in our living room and

No, don't listen to her. She's horrible in design and

No, sirs. I know best."

Our clashes of tongues became a thing of legend, a tale of

Destruction so great that eventually, no matter how strongly we built 'we' to be,

Those bricks would always find themselves

On the floor.

There'd be a moment we would just stare into the other's eyes, absorbed and enraptured in

Each other's guilt and sadness, not understanding why

We couldn't survive this madness that we've dubbed

"Love".

Until we understood how wrong we were.

We declared love a house, yet, if it were indeed one, it would never have been

A fanciful mansion full of riches and luxuries galore nor

A huge, solid structure made of bricks and stone because

Since when was gifting your love a glass pane romantic?

It doesn't taste of machinery and man-made objects nor

Metal scraps and wooden logs but instead, couldn't we just

Put on our matching rings (the ones I bought us for our one year anniversary) and

Grab those Pocky sticks and chocolate paste and just

Reconstruct our love there.

Because I remember it tasting sweet.

Because dear, our love is indeed a tender thing but

That's the most special thing about it.

There is beauty in simplicity and you and I both should have known that

Love does not sprout from dollar bills and signed checks but rather

From what lies within our hearts and

If, once upon a time, when we were truly happy with each other's presence in our lives and

We chose not to busy our future with Fererro Rochers and branded shoes, then maybe

Our small, warm Pocky hut would've long stayed together.

So, now that we're in pieces,

Now that our love has creases,

Let's rebuild our foundation of love once again.

And this time,

Pocky stick by blessed pocky stick.