Wedding Vows

Forty-six years ago, we said the words:
"For better or worse".
I'm not sure we understood
what we said: those glib words
that had no meaning
to the people we were then--
young, irresponsible,
indestructible.

What we've found is that everything
is better...AND worse...
irrevocably twined together:
no plus without a minus,
no defeat without a victory.
The people we were then
were too black and white,
and life itself
tends toward gray.

There have been exciting times:
new experiences--chldren,
travel, moves, and adventures.
We've had firsts
and lasts
and boring in-betweens,
but there has always been us,
for better and worse, together.
as long as we both shall live.